A Court of Fear and Ice
by jhilluminations
Summary: On the night of the blood lunar eclipse, a young woman discovers a mysterious light in her garden which turns out to be a portal to a different world. To a world of magic. To the world of Prythian. The night of the eclipse is just the beginning for her. / Main characters from the books (Rhys, Feyre, etc.) and setting rights to Sarah J. Maas. The rest by me.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Sitting on a bench with my legs tucked under, I was observing the busy street below. Though it was evening and the sun had just disappeared, I saw people everywhere. Some walking the pavements in a relaxed way and enjoying the cool dusk, some hurrying and heading towards God knew where, and some just standing and watching their lives getting wasted. Just like me.

I hadn't moved for a very long time and my legs were starting to feel numb. I didn't know why I decided to escape and hide on my friend's balcony but there I was – silently watching everything around me and not letting myself break down. Because if I had, it would be the end.

Facing the truth that cool July night made me shiver for the hundredth time since the moment I came here half an hour ago.

I was a complete zero. At twenty-three, I had absolutely nothing. No job, no money, no flat, and no man. Still living with my parents had become my worst nightmare yet I was unable – or maybe unwilling – to cut the cord and start my own life. Well, it wasn't like I didn't love them. I did, very much, but sometimes in life there is this moment when you have to take a chance and leave your family home to create something that is only yours. Sadly, I wasn't brave enough to do it.

Every damn week I was sending endless e-mails and CVs to endless kinds of companies and firms and there was always the same answer – silence. No one ever bothered to call me back or even reply to those e-mails. No one. I knew I was one of the many people searching for a job but surely there had to be a free position for me. After all, I had a human resource management degree and, according to the college website, I possessed everything I needed to start a dizzying career in HR. Yeah, right.

When it came to relationships… I sighed. I was truly a complete zero.

"What's the matter with you?" a familiar voice asked, startling me. I looked up and saw Tyler's smiling face. "I was looking for you the whole time. Paula made her famous 'Sex on the Beach' but you were nowhere to be found. Girl, I'm worried. Talk to me." I watched Tyler sat next to me and slung his arm across the back of the bench. Then he faced me.

I didn't know what to reply. His handsome face was full of worries, though he was trying to hide it from me. I had known him since uni and we'd grown fond of each other over the years but there were still things I just couldn't talk about – neither with him, nor with Paula, his girlfriend. Things like relationships, personal problems… and wasting my life.

"There's nothing to talk about," I said, going back to observing the street below. "I suppose I'm just tired. That's all"

Tyler frowned. "You know you can talk with me about everything. With me or Paula. Even about that prick–"

"I don't want to talk about him," I hissed and turned to him. "You _are_ my best friend and mean the world to me but messing with my love life is far beyond your duties as a friend."

Tyler rolled his dark eyes but said nothing.

"Everything's fine. I promise, Ty." And to emphasised that I managed to smile. A bit.

"I see."

We both knew I was lying but none of us wanted to say that aloud.

Inhaling deeply the cool air, I looked at the night sky. Instead of having a strongly and loudly beating heart, my chest was simply empty. Sometimes, while looking in the mirror, I was almost sure I saw a dark irregular spot where it was supposed to be. The only person responsible for that was me – me and my stupidity.

"It's just… I'm still looking for a job and no one's interested in employing me," I admitted, sounding somehow resigned. Well, that wasn't the entire truth but it was the first thing that came to my mind. At least, that was one of my many problems.

Tyler was immediately alerted by my voice as he asked, "Have you contacted some employment agencies?" I nodded. "Hey, then I'm sure that you'll find something in September," he said smiling at me. "They usually don't give a shit about _anything_ during summer, so no worries, mate. You'll get your dream job."

"Thanks. Oh boy, what would I do without you?" Suddenly I realised that I _did_ feel better than before as I was filled with teeny weeny gleams of hope. _Maybe I will find a job after summer_, I thought flashing him a smile. _Maybe I will finally stop being a complete zero._

"I have no idea." He laughed. "It seems to me that I'm the only person capable of bringing sense to your life. And the only boy that you truly love."

"God, stop it, Ty," I said looking over my shoulder. "Have you completely lost your mind? If Paula hears that… I'm sure she'll kill me. Without hesitation."

"Nope. She loves you as much as I do. So she'll never hurt you. Never ever," he assured me.

My only response was a sigh.

"Ah, there you are." Paula's voice frightened me so much that I almost jumped. "I've been worried about you, sweetie. Ty," she flashed him an irritated look, "was supposed to find you and bring inside. Yet you are still here. With him."

"Darling, I was in the middle of wiling her inside when you interrupted me."

Paula approached us and sat on Tyler's lap. "I don't know which is worse. You using the verb 'wile' or Amanda literally _killing_ Janelle Monáe's song," she grunted and made a wry face. "This is horrible. I can even hear it here."

I laughed. "I'm sure she _doesn't_ know how she makes us feel. Or else she wouldn't be doing it."

My thinly veiled allusion to the song's title made them both giggle. We had been listening to the song for months now and were all sick and tired of it. Amanda, our friend, was a big fan of Janelle Monáe and tortured us with her songs every time we met at a house party. She insisted even on singing only her songs during karaoke evenings we had every three weeks. But the worst thing was Amanda's voice – a high-pitched shriek which Ty defined as screeching of the tyres.

"Well, few more minutes and we go inside. I know it's lovely and quiet in here but that's not why we all came to our little eclipse party." Paula put her arm over Tyler's neck. "I really want to see that blood moon. How much longer?" She looked at him.

"How should I know?" He shrugged. "You know," he said to me, "she's been talking about it since last week. Talking, watching documentaries and reading pseudo-articles online. Literally everything about that _bloody_ moon. Mark my words," Tyler raised his finder, "if she doesn't get a job at NASA, then I'm sending her to them." Paula smacked him on the head. "Hey! What was that for?" he yelled. moving his head away from her hand.

"You want to get rid of me?" she asked. "After so many wonderful years together, you want to kick me out?"

"I didn't say that."

"No but you thought about that."

"No, I didn't."

She glared at him.

"Darling," Ty whispered, "you're the most amazingly, astounding, wonderful girl, woman that I've ever known. I'm not an idiot, I know how the world works. You jump, I jump remember?"

I watched Paula's expression. The anger in her eyes immediately disappeared when she heard a line from her favourite tearjerker and I was sure as hell that she wanted to cry. After all, my friend was a romantic. All she needed were roses and candlelight and she would be in heaven in a heartbeat.

Suddenly, Paula breathed his name and kissed him passionately. _There you go_, I thought.

"I'm still here, you know," I reminded them. My best friends ended their kiss and looked at me as if they forgot about me still sitting next to them. I smiled. "Right where you left me three seconds ago."

"Sorry for that," Tyler apologised. "We were just–"

"Hey. That's fine," I interrupted him, still smiling. "Besides, it wasn't the first time from what I remember." I laughed when Paula blushed and glanced at Tyler. "Anyway, Paula, why did you come here?"

"Oh, right." Paula stood up suddenly looking nervous. "I've completely forgotten. Dinner's ready." She hurried to the glass door which was leading to their living room.

"Why haven't you told me the second you came here?" Tyler asked and got up.

"Just get inside," she grumbled but didn't even look at him. Then she entered the room.

Tyler sighed. "Women." My friend winked at me and slowly approached the door. "Are you coming?"

"Yeah, sure." I followed him inside.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The first thing I heard after entering the room was a loud buzz. After all, Paula and Tyler's small living room was filled with seven people who were talking and laughing and listening to quite loud music – luckily no one was singing. I scanned the whole room and decided to sit in the biggest armchair they had in IKEA last year. It was really enormous but I didn't mind. I liked it either way.

Having tucked both feet beneath me, I leaned back in the armchair and immediately caught Isobel's eye. She smiled to me and said, "I've never seen a lunar eclipse. Have you?"

"Yes, I have. I think a couple of time. They were quite nice."

"I bet they were." Isobel was Paula's cousin and at the same time her best friend. She was living in the farthest away borough of our city, just next to the river, and was still at uni studying social anthropology. I met her two years ago while camping in the mountains but we'd never had a close relationship. At the beginning, I tried to make friends with her, yet we couldn't get on and eventually I gave up. Though I liked her and her boyfriend, Noah, who had just finished texting someone.

"I'm glad that you came today, girl," he said, looking at me and smiling. "There's no use sitting at home and boring oneself to death."

"I know." That was my only response. Only four people felt really bad about what happened last December and supported me since then. I was grateful I had such good friends around me. I didn't know whether I would have managed to move on if it weren't for them.

"Okay, guys," Paula shouted, interrupting my dark thoughts. "Food's ready so have some of it. We have everything – beginning with sweets and ending with vegetarian snacks. Bon appétit."

"I hope there is this yummy salad Toni made last week," Isobel said and tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. "I couldn't get enough of it." She stood up. "Come on or they eat it all."

She and Noah walked up to the table which had been already surrounded by the rest of Paula's guests. I watched her attentively. She and Paula looked alike as they both had long blonde hair and pretty round faces. Their eyes were different though, reflecting their personalities – Paula's were brown and cheerful, whereas Isobel's blue and always serious. I didn't know if the latter could laugh aloud. I'd never witnessed that.

As for Noah, he was a rather handsome guy. If you preferred carrots, of course. He was tall, red and freckled. I was sure he could easily pretend to be one of the Weasleys and no one would ever notice the difference. Noah had just graduated in history and was looking for a job just like me, though he had more chances in getting one. Being a curator's nephew was surely to his advantage.

"I'm coming." I heard my voice and found myself slowly approaching the table. But I wasn't even hungry.

###

Sitting between Paula and her younger brother Dominic made me realise how much I missed our house parties. They weren't huge and loud Hollywood styled events with loads of alcohol, drugs, and nakedness, and where at least one of the guests ended up behind bars. God, we weren't that crazy. Our parties were cool and cosy meetings in no more than eight to ten people held twice a month. Of course we danced, listened to loud music, and drank alcohol but rarely did we get plastered. Mostly because of lack of quids.

Today's eclipse party was a quiet one. There was music in the background but none of Paula's guests danced. For me, we were too hungry to concern ourselves with such trivial matters as dancing, and surely the delicious food in front of us was more appealing.

I started playing with my fork and food about fifteen minutes ago. I wasn't hungry or interested in the conversation at the table. I just felt a bit under the weather and wanted to go home, but I didn't want to leave the flat so early. It wasn't even nine o'clock.

Propping my head on my fist, I noticed that they were now talking about the eclipse but what went in one ear, went out the other. Except for me, the only people who weren't paying attention were Janelle Monáe's biggest fan in the universe and her Italian husband. Dark-haired Amanda was unsuccessfully trying to feed Marco, a devoted vegetarian for over fifteen years, meat pie. They were married for over a year and I was still wondering why and what for. The two clearly didn't make a match, not only when it came to food or tempers, but mostly in everyday life. Yet he was head over hills with her. I wished I had–

Everyone in the room laughed. I looked up. Clearly, I was so preoccupied with my own thoughts that I barely noticed the glass of wine near my hand. And to think I sat just next to it and didn't even drink…

"Yeah, I swear to God that I didn't know," Dominic said. "You know that driving my car is the worst thing in the world. Everything is acting up again."

"So maybe it's time to buy a new one?" Tyler asked, winking to him.

Paula's younger brother slung his arm across the back of my chair, suddenly finding his nails more interesting than Ty. "Sure. If you have some money to spare, don't hesitate. Give it all to me."

Paula snorted. "You think he's got money? Please."

"Exactly. We eat whatever we find in the rubbish," Ty said. Paula flashed him a disgusted look. "It was a figure of speech, darling."

"A very bad one."

"If you need a new car, I can take you with me to the city," Marco said. Well, apparently, Amanda wasn't trying to feed him anymore. "It turns out that I know someone who wants to sell his. But you'll need quid."

"And that's the problem, mate. Dom hasn't got much." Ty made a wry face.

"Shut up, Ty. Adults are talking business now." Dominic poked his tongue at Tyler. "I _do_ need to get rid of that bloody set of wheels."

"My goodness! I've forgotten about the damn blood moon!" Paula yelled and immediately picked herself up. "Hurry up! Or we're going to miss it."

"Hey, don't worry. It will last till night," I assured her. "At least, I hope so."

"Come on, everyone!" she shouted, poking the closest people to her. "Izzie, Noah. Get up. How on earth could I forget about that damn thing?"

I laughed. "You know, the next eclipse that will be that long is in the next century."

"You too, get up," she commanded me, pointing the door in front of her. "And out."

Just like everyone else in the living room, I reluctantly stood up and started approaching the glass door. Paula was indeed bossy from time to time, especially to her friends. "Can I take my wine with me?" I asked, hoping she would agree.

But it wasn't her voice that said, "I didn't know you had a habit of kicking people out of your flat, Paula."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

I froze, desperately trying to breathe.

In and out.

In and out.

Thousands of thoughts were coming through my mind, one more irrational than the other. Suddenly, I didn't know where I was, what I was doing or why the hell I was holding a glass of wine. All I knew was that _he_ came to the flat.

He.

Of all the people.

For the second time in my whole life I felt utterly helpless. I was reminded of everything that happened almost seven months ago. Every sound, every smell, every freaking moment of that horrible night.

With my back turned, I wasn't able to face him. Not yet. I was just standing there and staring at Isobel who was making a wry face. I was sure she wanted to kick that piece of shit out and go back to whatever she was doing. Ah, right – observing the eclipse. Just like the rest of us was supposed to do before he–

"Henry?" Paula gasped.

"How did you get in?" Tyler demanded, moving towards him.

"And hello to you, too," he sneered, clearly annoyed by their behaviour. What the hell was he expecting? A welcoming committee? "I have a spare key, don't you remember? After all, Paula's my sis."

"Well, yes, but–" Paula stuttered.

"Dom told me about the party. So _we_ decided to drop by and spend the night with you."

Wait… what? We?

Slowly, I managed to look over my shoulder.

I met him four years ago in a pub when celebrating the end of our first exam session. At first, I didn't take a liking to this fair-haired guy as he was too loud, too confident and joked a lot. He seemed to know everyone there, both men and women, and that was way too much for a quiet and shy girl like me. Not to mention that Paula was his younger sister and told me each and every bad thing about him.

Unfortunately, as time went by, we started spending more and more time together. I hated it. We met at every party, at every karaoke evening and at every film show we had during the next term. He was practically everywhere where I was. As a result, I got to know him better. And soon I had a change of heart and eventually fell in love with him.

The year we spend together was the best I had ever had. I was loved, admired, and cared for. I was asked on dates and romantic walks. I was the first person whom he contacted in the morning and the last whom he talked with at night. For one year I was the most important person in his life and felt the most beautiful girl in the world. I had everything I'd ever wanted and dreamt of.

But he didn't.

He wanted the only thing I wasn't able to give him _yet_. The only thing which was so precious to me that I decided to wait a bit longer. And it was too long for him.

Seven months later, as I was standing in his sister's living room, feeling abandoned, broken, and downhearted, I noticed the reason for all of that. The reason I spent that cold December night crying my heart out and wishing to die. The reason I sometimes was too afraid to wake up in the morning and live another meaningless day. The reason I had a shitty New Year's Eve and even more shitty morning of the New Year's Day.

The reason for my broken heart.

Her.

I turned around and immediately attracted her attention. She was no longer just standing near the door and observing the whole room with a tight smile, but now watching me carefully. Well, I was doing the same.

With a new haircut and dyed hair, Mary was almost unrecognisable. Had I met her in the street, I wouldn't even bother my head about a close-cropped blondish girl with pink streaks because I simply wouldn't know her. Sadly, it wasn't like she looked awful – hell, just the opposite. Now she was really pretty and she knew it; otherwise, she wouldn't flash me a sweet smile and come up to him.

"You all remember Mary, don't you?" he asked, wearing a forced smile and embracing her with one arm.

"How could we ever forget?" Isobel fumed.

The room got quiet.

Since December, I'd tried to avoid him in all manner of ways, beginning with staying at home and not going on our parties, and ending with doing the shopping in different parts of our city than usually. I knew he would be around; we had the same friends and liked the same places. Meeting him was inevitable, yet I hoped that day would come later, or even never.

"Shall we watch the eclipse?" Dominic's wobbly voice brought us back down to earth. I looked at him and immediately noticed the uneasy expression on his face.

"Yeah, right. The eclipse. Let's go outside." Paula didn't sound so excited anymore. She eyed her older brother and then turned her attention to me.

Not waiting for the rest of us, Isobel and Noah were the first ones to leave the room. I watched them disappear in the night, cursing myself for standing so far from the glass door. Had I been nearer, I would have had a chance to vanish earlier than them. Then it was Dominic and Tyler's turn who were followed by Amanda and Marco. My best friend glanced back on us before heading outside and I saw that his dark eyes were full of concern. I knew Ty worried about me but there was nothing he was able to do about the whole thing. It was my mess to clean up.

"Come on, you two. Out. We'll be right behind you," Paula said and moved towards the table, clearly wanting to clean the used plates. "Will you help me clean?" she asked and looked over her shoulder at me.

"I will," I mumbled.

Though pretending to be very interested in the bowl in front of her, she was constantly shooting me anxious looks. I ignored her and busied myself with the cutlery.

I didn't even have to look at him and Mary to know that they hadn't moved a bit and were still standing near the dining table. I hated when people were behaving like this. When they were pretending to be talking and laughing, yet at the same time checking if someone was watching them. It was so immature.

Willy-nilly, I glanced at them and it made me realise that he looked exactly the same as he used to when I'd met him and when we were a couple. He still had the same blonde hair, the same haircut, even the same way of dressing. Nothing in his appearance had changed in years. Nothing.

I took a deep breath and looked again.

Mary laughed softly and took him by the hand. Then she led him to Paula and Tyler's balcony, leaving me and Paula alone.

All of a sudden, my broken heart decided to remind me about itself. First, I felt a pang which was so delicate that I'd almost missed it. And seconds later, that depressing and devastating feeling I had in winter had hit me hard once again. I couldn't catch my breath. I couldn't move. I couldn't focus on anything. I was just standing there with a fork in my hand, staring blankly at the table and knowing my eyes were filling with tears. I felt like my heart darted out of my chest and now was lying under the table, throbbing more and more slowly, preparing for imminent dying out.

"I'm so sorry, sunshine." I heard Paula's voice as she approached me and hugged, hiding my barely standing body between her arms. "You have no idea how sorry I am."

I closed my eyes and felt tears falling down my cheeks. "Oh, Paula," I mumbled. "I don't know what to do."

"Be brave, sunshine. Be strong."

I thought I was strong. I thought I was finally ready to face the reality and move on. I thought that all I needed were seven long months, solitude and a bit of bravery. I thought I thought it through. But tonight showed me the truth. I wasn't strong enough. I wasn't ready to at last stand up to the real world and get on with my life. I wasn't properly counting the two hundred and eight days I spent in my room alone, fighting the overwhelming despair I had been feeling since the very last day of the past year. I wasn't thinking at all.

Holding tightly to Paula, I raised my head and stared at the night outside. My heart was bleeding just like the blood moon in the sky. Silently and with everyone watching closely.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Soon after the clock struck ten, I decided to head home. Though sitting next to my best friends on their balcony bench, I was beginning to feel suffocated, and watching the bloody eclipse had become the least appealing thing to do. I knew too well that I had already spent too much time in the flat and needed to get the hell out of there. Grabbing a chance to leave with the Monáes, I let them drop me home and waved them off. But I couldn't get in. At least, not yet.

I was standing in front of my whitish terraced house, gazing at it and calming myself, for a time that seemed ages. I had lived there my entire life and was sure I would live another decades.

I knew every detail of this building – every room, every wall, every window, and every door. Over the years, I learned which steps to avoid and which to step on to slip out and go to a slumber party next door. I didn't remember how many times I painted our room with my sisters or how much time I spent on futilely trying to make our garden look better, but it was home. My home. True, it looked exactly the same like any other house on Ash Street, yet ours was somehow special. And I loved it.

Glimpsing around, I noticed that our street was empty. The streetlights were on but the ever-present darkness was lurking round, giving me goose bumps all over my body. There was no one on the pavement, no cars were passing by, and I was the only living thing in the area. Really scared, I went in and before locking the door I checked if I was followed. Luckily, I wasn't.

My parents and two younger sisters were gone for the weekend and the house was mine. I could do whatever the hell I wanted. I could have had a party but I wasn't in a mood for it, especially not after tonight's. I could have watched something but my dark-haired Westerosi bastard wasn't available yet. I could have eaten all sweets and ice cream we had but I wasn't that hungry. I could have stayed up late and read but I was too tired. So instead, I chose to go to bed and let this horrible day finally end.

My room, shared with the twins, was on the second floor. It was a bit too small for three grown-up girls but somehow we managed not to kill one another. At the beginning, when there was only me, the room was just perfect. I had enough space for my big bed, loads of clothes and twice as many toys, and, most importantly, it was _mine_. By the time my dark-haired and dark-eyed mini-mes turned three, I was forced to open the door to my very own kingdom and let those two creatures coexist there with me. And seventeen years later, they still did.

We didn't have much in our room as it was small indeed. One big wardrobe, two desks, an old bookcase inherited from our mum, a sofa bed that belonged to me and a bunk bed were everything that fitted in there. Last year, after much quarrelling and threatening to move out, we decided to paint the walls navy blue and buy white furniture. But we didn't expect to make the room look worse than before. I truly hated spending time inside as I felt overwhelmed by the surrounding darkness. And darkness was the last thing I needed when recovering after New Year's Eve.

Half an hour later, having finally got rid of my clothes and make-up, I was lying in bed and staring at the dark ceiling. Though I had seven months to think everything over, I wasn't prepared at all. I was completely unguarded the moment they came in and announced the whole world they were happy together. Like there was nothing that might have got in their way and destroy it. Huh, been there. With the same guy.

With the same guy I was ready to spend the rest of my life.

With the same guy I wanted to start a family with.

With the same guy I thought I loved forever.

"Stop it. Just stop it," I whispered to myself, feeling devastated inside. It was too much. I didn't want another sleepless night full of regrets, tears and what-ifs. I was over it. I was _better_ than this. But why, for the second time tonight, did I feel the overwhelming feeling of emptiness mixed with grief and longing? I had no idea.

###

When I opened my eyes, I sensed there was something wrong.

Studying the darkness around me, I noticed the room looked exactly like before. I saw the outline of our furniture and the luminous stars on Evelyn and Jasmine's bed but I couldn't hear the clock ticking in the hall. Half asleep half awake, I sat on the bed, trying to make out the sounds around. After a while, I focused enough to catch the soft ticking and I lay back, finally feeling calm. But then I opened my eyes.

_Oh, God, I forgot to lock the door_, I thought and immediately jumped out of the bed. Rushing down the stairs, I didn't even bother to turn the lights on. I knew where I was going and was aware of every piece of furniture I might have encountered downstairs. Living in the same place for many years and not changing the rooms' arrangement had their pluses, didn't they?

Breathing heavily, I reached the front door and pressed the handle. "Please, please, be locked," I whispered. "Please." And when I pulled it, nothing happened.

I sighed. Never in my life had I been more grateful to find the front door locked than now. Leaning my forehead against the wood, I tried to steady my speeding heart and gather my thoughts. God, I hated wake ups like that. I never knew what was going on and that's why I was always panicking. Just like now.

"Okay, time to go back to bed," I said aloud. I didn't know what the time was but I was sure like hell that it was something between one or two o'clock. Thankfully, it was already Saturday so I had a chance to sleep longer in the morning.

Having checked the lock for the second time, I headed towards the stairs. I felt that the level of adrenaline in my body started fading away and tiredness was again taking control over me. I had to climb up the stairs to the second floor and the very thought was making me tired enough to stay downstairs and just lie on the living room sofa. It was so tempting that I stopped and eyed the sofa.

Suddenly, I spotted a flash from the corner of my eye. Turning my head towards the kitchen window, I saw a bright glow of light coming from the outside. The only things that were in our garden was a tall ash tree and a summer house but I didn't remember turning its lights on._ So what was that?_, I thought and frowned. _Or who was that?_

Curious enough, I decided to have a look. I didn't want to either waste energy or let someone roam around our garden. The last thing I wanted this weekend was to be in trouble. Peeping out the window was the safest and quietest way to check our property for any uninvited guests or possible electrical problems.

Though it was late July and I was home, I felt cold so I grabbed a nearby blanket and draped it over my shoulders. Moving slowly through the dark living room, I was watching my step so as not to bump into our furniture and make unnecessary noises. All along, I was studying the glow outside but it didn't seem to fade. Bloody hell. Now, I was sure there was someone in our garden.

Really nervous, I reached the back door and looked out the window. To my surprise, the garden was empty yet bright. No burglars. No vandals. No nothing. There was just the ash tree and the summer house. Well, I _was _subconsciously expecting to see someone there but felt relieved to find no one. If I had to face a burglar, I would have chickened out. I wasn't a good fighter after all.

Still, I didn't know where the light was coming from. I scanned the area and noticed that the brightest point was behind the ash tree. Strange. Why would my mum put a solar lamp there? Wasn't it supposed to be in plain sight to light the garden up?

Having opened the back door, I stepped out without a second thought. I had to see for myself what was hiding behind that tree. _Good_ _God, that lamp must be enormous_, I thought, getting closer. It was shedding light all around the ash tree, which had been in our garden for over forty years, yet I didn't see the lamp itself. When I finally got to the summer house, I froze with astonishment.

There are moments in our lives when we just can't believe our eyes. Moments which seem so unrealistic, so out of this world that we gape and simply do nothing. Moments which make us lose control over our body and mind and usually drive us to do stupid or dangerous things. After some time, we might realise that everything we saw was just a figment of imagination and nothing really happened. But we still think about it and try to find a reasonable explanation.

So how on earth was I supposed to explain reasonably a bright ball of yellowy light that was floating in the air three feet above the ground and pulsating steadily like a beating heart? Or why was it pulling me like a magnet, tempting into coming up and touching it?

Blinking with disbelief, I said to myself, "This isn't happening. This is _a dream_. I am just dreaming." But it did seem real.

I knew that I should have taken my eyes off it and looked around but I couldn't. The only thing I cared for was staring at the ball and getting closer. I felt like I wasn't controlling my body anymore. Like some invisible force was moving my legs and arms and pushing me towards the light.

Reaching out my hand, I took another step towards the ash tree. And another. And another. In a blink of an eye, I was standing in front of it and touching softly the ball of light.

At first, it felt warm. My fingers were moving in it like in water, letting the light flow smoothly between them. It was amazing how every particle was glittering and turning around as if some undetectable wind was blowing inside the light. I rubbed the particles between my thumb and index finger but didn't feel a thing. It was almost like they were so tiny and so delicate that were gone before I even touched them.

Awestruck, I soon noticed that the glittery particles started to slowly settle on my skin and tickle me. I moved my hand away. "What the hell–" I gasped and took a step back, wanting to get away from the light. But it followed me. Trying to wipe the particles was useless; the more I tried, the faster they stuck to my skin. At some point, I lost my blanket but I didn't care. I wanted to get rid of the glittery shit.

To my horror, I realised that my whole body was now covered with the particles. "Get off me!" I shouted, feeling really scared. "Bloody hell. Off with you!" I tried to spin around, shake them off and even scratch my skin but nothing worked. Jumping and moving like a lunatic near the ash tree, I lost my balance and lurched back, falling directly into the ball of light. I screamed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Everything was happening so fast.

First, with my eyes shut, I didn't know where or who I was anymore. I couldn't recall my name or the way I looked. There was nothing about me or my life in my mind. There was just emptiness. Then, I saw brightness that blinded me the moment I opened my eyes. Suddenly, I had a distant memory of losing my balance and falling into some light, yet I couldn't remember if that really happened. I saw more flashes from unrealistic events I had no recollection of and felt really scared. _What is happening to me?_

Having quickly closed my eyes, I realised I was falling but didn't really know if I was standing, lying or sitting. I just existed. I felt I was surrounded by something that was pulling my clothes and pinching my limbs. _Just like earlier…_ I knew I felt the same itching on my skin earlier. But when did I feel that?

Before I could realise, everything stopped and went silent. Too afraid to open my eyes, I took a deep breath and smelt something nice and sweet. The wonderful crisp fragrance was all around me, filling my nose and making me calm. Concentrated on the smell, I barely noticed that my feet touched the ground and the itching on my skin was gone. _So that's it?_, I thought and felt somehow disappointed.

Slowly cracking my eyes open, I was prepared to see the brightness again. Fortunately, it wasn't as strong as earlier. True, I had to squint past the light and touch my forehead with a hand to protect my eyes from it, but at least I was able to identify some obscure shapes in front of me. _Please, don't be aliens_, I thought, lowering my hand as the light seemed to be weakening. _Anything but aliens_.

Two seconds later, the brightness was finally gone and I realised what the obscure shapes really were. "Holy shit," I said loudly.

A group of approximately ten people were staring at me with expressions ranging from shock and disbelief to even anger and rage. With my eyes wide open, I noticed they were all inhumanly beautiful and dressed in weird medieval clothes; some were holding weapons that looked like swords and some had dark wings.

With a racing heart, I quickly turned around, unexpectedly remembering everything that had happened tonight – the eclipse, them, standing in front of my home and the strange flash in my garden. Though I was expecting to see a passage leading back to my home, there wasn't anything. The light I saw previously was gone and I was now gaping at a beige stone wall. I gasped. I knew it was impossible. It _had_ to be impossible. "Wake up," I told myself. "Wake up, it's just a dream." But the wall was still ahead of me.

_Oh God_, I thought, coming to realise the unimaginable truth. _This is all real._ Stiffened with fear, I managed to turn around. And only then did I see _him_.

The darkest, the most dangerous and the most handsome man I had ever seen in my life was leaning against the edge of a table. I slightly opened my mouth and was gazing at him with astonishment. The stranger was surrounded by dark shadows that were moving and dancing around him, blending into his black clothes. His crushing blue eyes were slowly moving up my body, making me blush and shiver at the same time. I involuntarily fixed my eyes on his full mouth and felt an overwhelming need to kiss him. _Good God._

I knew I should have been terrified of him. I knew I should have taken my eyes off his hot two days' stubble and looked elsewhere. I knew I shouldn't have been gazing at his muscular arms which were crossed on his chest. And I _knew_ I shouldn't have been excited like hell just by the mere sight of him. But I did all of the above-mentioned things. And I liked it.

I exhaled quite loudly when the stranger's eyes finally reached my face and we looked at each other. Although there was a fifteen-feet distance between the two of us, I couldn't help but notice the smirk that appeared on his lips. He knew I was checking him out for the last minute and that I found him very attractive. Well, who wouldn't?

All of a sudden, I detected a move from the corner of my eye. Forced to take my gaze off the dark-haired cutie, I turned my head and saw a more mature version of him that was standing ahead of the group. My eyes popped.

To be honest, I had completely forgotten about everything that was surrounding me. I was so absorbed with the cutie to my left that I hadn't been paying much attention to rest of my surroundings. I knew I was in an enormous bright room that had no windows and lots of chandeliers – because that was easy to spot – but hadn't noticed any details. Not to mention other people who were there with me.

The older version of the handsome stranger had the same dark hair and bluish eyes, yet I noted he was a bit shorter and was beaming with even more dangerous and darker power that really frightened me. Well, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the older one was the perfect embodiment of darkness and evil. He was too dressed in black but had an extraordinary crown as if made of dark feathers. Wait a minute… I was sure I had seen it somewhere, but I couldn't–

"Who are you?" he asked with a strong Scottish accent.

I swallowed hard. "I–"

"Don't make me repeat my question, love." The more mature version raised a brow, not taking his gaze off me.

I couldn't stand the way he looked at me, so my eyes darted to the dark-haired cutie that was still leaning against the table and observing me with a smirk. They looked alike. Like father and son. I frowned. As crazy as that might have sounded, they both seemed familiar to me. I was sure I had seen them before, yet I couldn't remember where exactly that might have been.

My eyes shifted back to the one with the feather-like crown and I noticed that he stood near a tall guy with dark wings and a blonde-hair woman. They were both dressed in leather armour and were eyeing me suspiciously.

Black hair. Blue eyes. Dark wings. Incredibly beautiful.

A crazy idea dawned on me. But before I considered its pros and cons, I heard myself saying aloud, "Good God. You are Rhysand."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Staring at him with disbelief, I went on, "You are Rhysand. High Lord of the Night Court."

The older version of the cutie smiled and purred, "Ah, you seem to know my name. That's wonderful. But it's not what I was waiting for, love."

How could it even have happened? He was a character from a book, not a real person. He was supposed to be just a figment of imagination, not a man made of flesh and blood who was standing in front of me and keeping his eyes on me. He was… He was there. Dark, beautiful, mysterious, and alive. And I was having a conversation with him.

"Are you even real?" I asked, still doubting everything I saw.

Rhysand smiled to me but said nothing.

"I'm sorry but I wasn't expecting _this_." Putting emphasis on the last word, I looked around and met the blonde woman's gaze. _Feyre_, I thought. _She's beautiful_. "I didn't know that you actually existed."

_Because you don't_. _You cannot be real. It's impossible, _I thought, shifting my eyes to those who were standing behind Rhysand, and taking in their strangely beautiful faces. I saw both men and women, young and relatively older ones, and fair, red and dark-haired people. There was even a little girl who was watching me intently from the back of the group.

I knew I was dreaming. I knew book characters couldn't be alive neither talk with people. I knew it had to be a hallucination I got from the ash tree. There was no other explanation for seeing them, for seeing sexy Rhysand and guys with dark wings. But would a hallucination seem so realistic?

"Well, now you know that we exist," Rhysand said. "And we don't mind guests, even those uninvited."

"Yeah, sorry for such a surprising visit but I wasn't planning it. I swear," I assured him, hoping to sound genuine. "I have no idea how I got here. So if you were so kind and sent me back home, I would be super grateful." I smiled.

Rhysand snorted and slid his hands into his pockets. "So the girl without a name wants _me_ to send her back."

I nodded. "Exactly."

"I can't do such a thing."

Suddenly horrified at the thought of staying forever in a made-up world, I asked, "What do you mean you _can't_? You brought me to Prythian so you _must_ bring me back."

"First and foremost, _I_ did not bring you to Prythian," he said. "I don't know how and why you ended up here, but I wasn't the one who brought you to our court. Maybe you did it on your own."

"I didn't. I don't even have magic." Looking helplessly at him, I tried to comprehend the whole situation but nothing was adding up. I knew I woke up in the middle of night and saw some light in the garden. Following it, I approached our ash tree and later on was magically transported to another place. Well, it did happen in films, but there was one thing I couldn't figure out. How was it possible to be in a made-up land that existed in a book series and talk with one of the characters? The answer was simple. It wasn't. So what the hell was I doing there?!

"Then who did it?" Rhysand regarded me carefully.

"I did, Father." The little blonde-hair girl walked up to him and caught his hand, making him look down at her. "I brought this girl to our court," she said sweetly and gazed at me.

A bit perplexed, I observed her. I had no idea there were more children. I knew the two of them were supposed to have a dark-haired son who was leaning against the table but there was nothing else about others. So was she their second child? Well, who knew?

The fair-haired girl whom I had previously seen at the back of the group had a round beautiful face with a small nose and full mouth. She didn't look like Rhysand so I figured that the little one was more alike her mother. Her hair was long and left loose, giving the impression of being made of pure gold. Giving the circumstances, I wouldn't be surprised if that was true.

"I'm more like a woman than a girl but okay. I'm cool with that," I heard myself saying.

The girl beamed but when she looked at Rhysand, her smile faded. It seemed to me they were reading each other's thoughts because after a while Rhysand nodded and the girl fixed her gaze on me once again.

Suddenly, she disappeared and a second later was standing right in front of me. Taken aback, I moved back towards the wall behind me and gasped. _What the hell?! They are really able to do such things?_, I thought, peering at her with amazement.

Flashing me an apologetic smile, the girl extended her little hand and said, "Hello. My name is Meleri. What's your name?"

I shot a quick look at her hand but eventually took it, squeezing my cold fingers around hers. I didn't know they were that cold. But on the other hand, I was standing there dressed in my favourite skimpy pyjamas, so…

"Hello. I'm Alexandra," I replied, surprised at the familiarity I felt towards her. As if we'd met before and were friends since then. But that was not possible. I had never seen her in my life. "But call me Lexi."

Meleri beamed again and her unusual violet eyes fixed on my wrist. "That's strange. I can't read your thoughts," she blurted and blushed, letting go of my hand.

"Excuse me?" I muttered.

Shooting me a frightened look, she stuttered, "I–"

Shocked and angry at her confession, I glared at her and seethed, "You tried to read my thoughts?" Meleri moved back but I didn't pay attention to that. Instead, I raised my eyes and looked around. "You all tried, didn't you?" I snorted. "Unbelievable."

Meleri did sound genuinely sorry when she said, "I apologise for that. I just tried to–"

"Enough of that," a female voice with a British accent commanded. Turning my head towards the rest of the people, I saw that the blonde-haired woman standing next to Rhysand approached us slightly and was glaring at both of us. So I was right. She was Feyre and Meleri was their younger one.

The High Lady of the Night Court was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Fair-haired and blue-eyed, she had sharp cheekbones and a soft mouth, yet her face was now serious. She was eyeing me suspiciously, just like before, but this time I noticed something else. As a mother, she was also worried about Meleri standing next to me – a strange girl who suddenly appeared at their court – but I couldn't blame her. Every mother would do the same. Mine as well.

"Meleri, send her back," Feyre said, addressing the little girl.

"I can't."

"Sweetheart, you have to do this." Keeping her gaze fixed on Meleri, Feyre took a step closer. "She doesn't belong here. And you know that."

"I do. But, Mother, I swear," Meleri said. "I don't know how to send her back."

Feyre's voice was calm but stern. "The same way you brought her to us."

"It's not… It's not that simple. I made a bargain with–"

"What have you done?" Rhysand demanded.

Now, I saw that Meleri was really scared. To be honest, I was too when I looked at him. Though his beautiful face was an oasis of calm, showing only serenity and self-control, his whole body was surrounded by dark shadows which were moving and swirling angrily around him. It seemed that Rhysand was about to explode, yet he wasn't sure if he should do this in front of his own daughter. Well, as for me, I preferred him not to.

"I made a bargain with Bryaxis, Father," Meleri whispered, avoiding his eyes. "To summon a female worthy my brother. Bryaxis called her 'the girl beyond the stars'. And Lexi has two tattoos on her wrists. I saw them. Three stars on each wrist. Three stars," she repeated. "Three."

_Worthy her brother? What was he now? A damn Mjölnir?_, I thought and opened my mouth, but they didn't let me speak.

"It doesn't mean anything," Feyre cut in, evidently annoyed. "It's just a tattoo. Anyone can have one. I have several. So does your father."

"_Three_ stars on each wrist, Mother," Meleri repeated in a strangled voice and looked at my hand. "Rian has the same ones. Three on each wrist." She glanced at me. "It has to mean _something_." The girl turned around to face them and added loudly, "I just couldn't let him marry that female because of a duty. I couldn't let him marry without love. You have to understand."

But I didn't understand. Looking back and forth between Meleri and Feyre, I was trying to comprehend everything that was going on but, sadly, it was quite difficult. For starters, I couldn't get it why neither Rhysand nor Feyre was aware that their youngest child made a bargain with a shadowy being. And that it promised to bring a living creature to Prythian who turned out to be a person out of space. Well, literally.

Then, there was also the guy I was supposedly brought for. I knew they called him _Ryan_ but I had never heard of or found him in the books. _Maybe_, I thought, glancing at the dark-haired cutie who was still folding his muscular arms across his chest and observing the group behind Rhysand, _it was Rhys Jr. _The younger and hotter version of the guy I once considered the sexiest of them all.

"So," I said aloud, drawing everyone's attention, "let me make this clear. The only reason I was brought to Prythian was because _something_ called Bryaxis decided that a guy named _Ryan_ needed a girl from the stars. Is that correct?" I asked with a smile that didn't reach my eyes and looked at Meleri.

But it wasn't her who answered my question. A male husky voice which was so sensual that made me, a twenty-three-year-old girl, shiver and feel turned on like hell said, "That's correct."

* * *

**Pronunciation guide**

Meleri = [me - le - ree] (meaning: connected with "my" and "greatly bitter")

Rian = [ree - yan] (meaning: king)


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Swallowing hard, I turned my head left and met the dark-haired cutie's eyes. With a racing heart, I observed him leave the table and slowly approach the two of us, evidently taking his time.

He was absolutely gorgeous. Tall and muscular, Rhysand and Feyre's eldest son was truly the most handsome man I had ever met in my whole life. His whole body was moving gracefully and confidently, giving the impression of dancing instead of simply walking. I caught myself staring not only at his wonderful shredded arms that Captain America wouldn't feel ashamed of, but also at his remarkably muscled legs visible through his dark trousers. _Good God, how would he look like without all of these darkish clothes…?_, I thought and blushed, realising the inappropriateness of the idea. _Lexi, for God's sake!_

As he came closer, I noticed that his eyes were strikingly blue and his black hair was a bit too long yet it didn't take away his charm. As a matter of fact, I knew men who looked really sexy in longer hair and those who always failed in looking okay, no matter how hard they tried to do so. Luckily, the black-haired sex god fell into the first group.

The heir to the Night Court finally reached me and Meleri and fell on one knee in front of his younger sister. Immediately, an incredible smell of something sweet and fresh flooded my nostrils, making me think of those hot summer evenings in July where you sit in the summerhouse and inhale deeply the amazing night air. I sighted quite loudly but the smell was still there.

With his left arm resting on the other knee, the cutie studied Meleri for a while and said with a strikingly perfect British accent, "Melly, sweetheart, you can't bring people to our court just because _something_ told you they are perfect for me." Gently, he lifted Meleri's chin and made her look at him. "Though I'm flattered you wanted to save my pretty face from marrying Eirwen, promise me you'll never do this again."

"I promise," she whispered. "I'd never intended to cause trouble or make all of you angry. I was worried about you. I know now that bringing Lexi to Prythian was a very bad idea but it was the only one I had."

"I completely understand, sweetheart," he cut in and tucked Meleri's hair behind her ear. "And that's why we're going to send this lovely young lady back to her family as soon as possible." He flashed his sister a reassuring smile and then stood up.

Poring over me and making me blush for the hundredth time today, which I absolutely hated, he said in that sexy husky voice, "Welcome to the Night Court, lovely Alexandra."

"Hi," I breathed, feeling nervous about him standing so near me.

The dark-haired cutie smiled to me wickedly, evidently aware of what I felt, and added, "By the way, I'm _Rian_, honey."

"Rian. A sexy name for a sexy guy." Immediately, after saying that, I covered my mouth with a hand. _Good God, I said that aloud._ _I really said that aloud._ "Sorry."

"Oh, you think I'm sexy," Rian said with amusement. "But, honey, you're not my type. Even though my sister and Bryaxis believe otherwise."

His words really stabbed me. Avoiding eye contact, I looked at my own hands and I started regretting saying that sentence aloud._ And to think I was wondering about seeing this muppet without his clothes…_

"Alright, Meleri." I raised my head and saw Rian taking his sister's hand. "We'll go today to Bryaxis and solve that problem together."

"Will we take Lexi with us?" she asked, glimpsing at me.

"We will. But first, we have to find her something decent to wear. She can't just walk around in her underwear, can she?"

"That's not my underwear," I protested, feeling angry. "I'm wearing my pyjamas. As I was kidnapped in the middle of the night."

Both Meleri and Rian looked at me closely. The girl peered at my clothes but after a while seemed uninterested in them and fixed her eyes on her parents. Rian's eyes, on the other hand, were wandering over me, examining me and my red skimpy pyjamas from top to toe. If I hadn't known better, I would have said that he was undressing me with them. But he said himself that I wasn't his type so I was just making the whole thing up. Yet, it didn't change the fact that for the first time in my life I had regretted buying a bloody piece of clothing.

"Your pyjamas," he repeated, staring at me. "So you've got a peculiar taste in clothes in your land, lovely Alexandra."

"You have no idea, _mate_." I spat the last word.

Rian regarded me for a while, yet his only answer was a quiet, "Hmm."

Suddenly, Meleri appeared in front of me and grabbed my hand. "Come with me, Lexi."

I heard Rian said something about her being unbelievable but I didn't pay much attention to that. I was too shocked by her unexpected arrival to notice anything else. "Please, don't do that again. You scared me to death," I said, looking at her.

"I'm really sorry, Lexi. I didn't mean to." Meleri shot me an apologetic look.

"Okay. Where are we going anyway?"

"To the study to talk and then I will show you around, if I may."

"Yeah, sure. Why not? I've never been here before."

Letting her lead me out of the room, I looked around. The room I arrived in was huge and made of bright stone and its stark walls were high. There was no furniture but a big dark table and several matching chairs, now occupied by _book characters_ that were talking quietly and probably discussing the problem called 'me.'

It was odd to realise that everything around me was made up. That even though every wall, every floor tile, and every damn object seemed so realistic, I knew they didn't exist. The same was with the people I had encountered and the whole world of Prythian I was now in – they were all created by _someone_. And that someone was now living in the States, busying herself with writing novels.

_Good God_, I thought, observing Meleri who was walking next to me and still holding my hand. _I hope there is a way to bring me back home, regardless of what Rhysand said. Otherwise, I would be utterly screwed for good._

When we finally left the room, I noticed we entered a wide and long corridor lit only by some magical lamps that were floating above the floor. The walls were also made of the same stone I saw in the room but weren't that high.

"So you're the youngest," I said, trying to engage in idle chit chat with her.

"Yes. Are you?" she asked and looked at me.

"No, I'm the eldest."

"As is Rian." Meleri smirked and I was sure like hell that it wasn't a good thing. I really hoped she had given up the ridiculous thought of playing Cupid for me and that muppet, considering he wasn't even interested in me. _Too bad_. "Cerys and Ciaran are also older than me."

"Who?"

"My other siblings. You've seen them in the main chamber."

"Sorry, I didn't pay much attention to other people, except you and your old folks." _And that handsome muppet._

"Oh, that's a shame." Her smile faded but suddenly she added happily, "I know! I will introduce you to them. You'll love them. They are really incredible. You will love Rin, too, but–" Her voice trailed off. "I don't know why he was behaving so strangely today. Usually, he is very sweet and funny and spends a lot of time with me, but–" She bit her lip. "He didn't behave like the Rin I know."

"Well, maybe your big bro has a bad day." I said, not knowing why I was giving a damn about him. "You know, his hair isn't as perfect as always. Or his muscular arms and legs are less impressive than they used to be." _Shut up! _"People can have such big problems."

The corridor soon ended, forking to left and right. Without hesitation, Meleri chose right and led me into a much smaller room than the main chamber. It had to be the study as I could see a massive dark desk, a long table with lots of chairs, and several big cabinets, perfect for keeping books and papers.

"Why do you call us people?" she asked, stopping in the middle of the room and fixing her eyes on me. "You've used that word at least twice. We're not people, Lexi. We're High Fae, we're females or males." She motioned me to take place at the table.

"Well, sorry, but you do look like people to me." I sat on a chair and waited for Meleri to join me. When she did, I said, "Though you're more beautiful than ordinary humans. That's for sure."

"Ah, I'm flattered, lovely Alexandra," Rian bragged, appearing on a chair next to me.

"Shit!" I squeaked and jumped a bit. "Stop doing that!"

Rian laughed loudly but then propped his head on a fist and said, "I've never thought people were so fearful. Or are you an exception?"

I snorted, crossing my arms on my chest. "I've never thought fairies were so self-obsessed. Or are _you_ an exception?"

"Said by someone dressed in their underwear," he said in that husky voice and extended his hand towards my chest.

"That's not my–"

Alert, I watched him wind slowly a strand of my hair around his finger and leave it then on my shoulder. Feeling goose bumps all over my body, I sighed. Good God, I was as turned on as earlier in the huge chamber. My whole body was more than eager to invite his hands and gorgeous lips to touch and taste me in every possible way. I didn't know if I had ever felt such hunger for somebody because what I felt for Henry was beyond compare.

Suddenly, Rian pointed a finger at Meleri, or at least it looked like that, and snapped me out of drooling over him. A white shirt appeared hanging from his finger. "Take it. You seem to be cold," he said, flashing me a smile.

I frowned. "No, thanks, I'm fine." Eyeing the shirt, I found myself asking, "Are you as powerful as Rhysand?"

"In what way? In bed?" Rian whispered and slung his arm across the back of my chair.

"What? Good God, no. Why would I even want to know that?" I protested, feeling uneasy. I knew my cheeks were burning and the temperature around me suddenly rose by a few degrees. "In general… I suppose."

"Well, for such an _ordinary_ mortal like you," Rian looked at me with malicious satisfaction as he got closer, "I may seem like a god."

I winced.

Each and every one of us had experienced a moment in their lives which made their heart break in two. That moment might have been so powerful that some were even left sobbing on the floor, begging that heart to stop beating forever. If you were lucky enough, the pain died in a blink of an eye and never returned. But if you weren't that fortunate, it haunted you for the rest of your life, causing distress and chaos in everything you touched.

I wasn't the lucky one. Heartbroken and devastated, I had been going through hell for several months, reliving and regretting every freaking minute spent with him. The torment clouded my whole life and prevented me from seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. I had gone out of my way to get rid of everything that was precious to me by starting freezing my family and friends out, almost giving uni a miss, putting on some flesh, and wasting time on reading red-tops. Yet somehow I made it through and was free. Until now.

Now, looking at Rian, I felt like my old wound had reopened. Like every heart pang I endured struck me again, leaving me breathless for a second time. It dawned on me that I was stupid enough to think my glued together heart would never be nicked or broken again. No such luck. The dark-eyed guy sitting next to me was a perfect evidence for it. Or should I say his _extraordinary_ words.

I didn't know why he was acting so weird. He was changing his behaviour so quickly that it was too difficult for me to follow. One minute he was sexy and flirty, flashing smiles and touching my hair, the next cold and mean, insulting me and treating like something inferior to him. I was too exhausted to play such games.

"Not again." I heard a melodious female voice with a strong Scottish accent. Turning my head, I saw a slender young woman with long dark hair who entered the study with her male version walking behind her. _Twins_. "Rin, grow up and leave that girl alone, will you?"

"Cerys, sweetheart, you _do_ know how I enjoy talking to girls," Rian said and vanished. After a heartbeat, he appeared on a chair opposite mine, sitting sprawled and holding a glass of some reddish liquid in one hand. He wasn't looking at me. _Good_.

"Exactly, talking, not yanking them around." Cerys approached the table and sat next to her elder brother. "You're setting a bad example." She sniffed and leant across him, asking, "What is it? What are you sipping?"

"Something far too special for you."

"So I suppose it's the usual stuff." Cerys's twin brother took a seat next to Meleri and me, patting her on the arm and completely ignoring me. He had a Scottish accent as well, though not as distinctive as his sister. A glass of a similar reddish liquid appeared in his hand and he took a sip. Sighing, the twin brother lifted his glass and toasted Rian.

Cerys glimpsed at me. "You're rather pretty. But don't be fooled," she said. "All my brother wants is to get laid with you. That's all he's after."

Rian rolled his eyes. "You're insulting me, sister. I would never stick my cock into her."

The first thing I felt was a sudden and uncontrollable urge to kill that bastard. I would have gladly emptied his glass onto him and then bumped his empty head hard against the table. But all I could do was use my words. "Well," I hissed and flashed Rian a cocky smile, "providing there is _a cock_ to stick into me."

The room went silent.

_Come on, mate._

* * *

**Pronunciation guide**

Cerys = [ke - ris] - just like "care + is" (meaning: love)

Ciaran = [keer - uhn] (meaning: little dark one)

Eirwen = [air - wyn] (meaning: white snow)


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

With shadows all around him, Rian put his hands on the table and leant across it. When he laid his blue eyes on me, I saw that the flirtatious sparkles that were there earlier disappeared and were replaced by pure anger. "Listen to me carefully," he ground out.

"I'm all ears, your highness," I said, keeping my eyes on him. I knew it was wrong to irritate him on purpose but I couldn't resist it. He deserved it.

Unaffected by my words, Rian went on, "You've come here out of nowhere and seem to know _everything_ about us. But how is it possible that you have no idea how to address us? If you think you can make such remarks freely, then you're wrong. You are in no position to make them."

"Oh, but I am in such a position," I interrupted him. "You insulted me, I insulted you. Simple." Standing up and putting my hands on the table, I eyed him with distaste. "You're not a god to me. You're merely an _ordinary_ man with some magic tricks and an enormous ego. I wonder if the Bone Carver had foreseen that you would be a prick."

The heir to the Night Court stood up slowly and, leaning across the table, drew closer to me as if he wanted to kiss me. I held my breath unconsciously and my lips felt tingly for a while. But his words weren't an invitation to taste his mouth. No. They were like pouring cold water on me. "Well, at least I'm not the one standing naked in front of strangers," Rian whispered and moved back, smiling.

Taken aback, I looked down to see if he really meant it and I gasped.

Trying to cover as much of my naked body as I could, I sat on the chair and squealed, "You fucking–"

Rian and his siblings, except Meleri who covered her eyes, started laughing and drowned out my swearing.

Had I not been frantically attempting to hide my boobs and bum, I would surely consider Rian's laugh sexy like hell. I knew that under different circumstances I would have just watched him laughing and enjoyed doing it. But now I wanted to murder that bastard.

"That was good," Cerys exclaimed, wiping her eyes. "Really good."

I gave her a murderous look and then, glaring at that muppet, I demanded, "What have you done, arsehole? Give me my clothes back."

"Oh, lovely Alexandra," Rian said. He stopped laughing but was looking at me with a grin. "I don't have your clothes. They've just…" he hesitated for a moment, "disappeared."

"Disappeared," I repeated. "Nothing can just disappear."

"Unless you have certain abilities to make things disappear," the twin brother said.

"Abilities?" I asked. "Stop joking. I want my clothes back, you idiots!"

"Rian, move over, please." Rhysand entered the study with his wife and slowly approached the table. Still naked and covering my boobs, I blushed and felt more embarrassed than before. _Good God, it's not happening_.

Without saying a word, Rian sat on another chair and gave me a wink. I wanted to poke my tongue at him but somehow managed to overcome it. _I'm better than this_, I thought.

"Do forgive our son for such behaviour," Feyre addressed me and flashed an apologetic smile. "Rian can sometimes joke to excess, doesn't he? But he's a good young male." She caressed his hair and then sat in the chair right in front of me. "I thought you might need some _clothes_ so I brought you a bathrobe. Meleri and Cerys will later help you find something else."

Indeed, a white bathrobe appeared next to me on the table, so I put it on immediately. It was soft and smelt like flowers. And thanks to it, I stopped being naked. "Thank you," I said.

Feyre nodded.

"We are all here so let us begin," Rhysand said, sitting next to his wife and holding her hand. "First of all, we would like to hear your version of events. Meleri showed us hers in details, starting with her bargain with Bryaxis and bringing you here." He sent his daughter a condemned look. "Please, tell us what happened in your land."

"Well, where should I start?" I asked and regarded him.

"Maybe from the beginning," Rian cut in.

Glaring at that handsome muppet, I said, "I'm not talking to you, Tinkerbell. In case you didn't realise, I insulted you. Tinkerbell was a tiny blonde elf with a hair knot and fluffy shoes."

"What an ideal description of Rin," the twin brother giggled.

"Ciaran, I don't want to hear you for the next ten minutes," Rhysand said quietly, not looking at his younger son. "Go on, Alexandra."

"All right then." I looked at my hands and tried to focus on the whole thing. "Well, I was sleeping in my bed when suddenly I woke up, feeling that something wasn't right. It must have been between one and two o'clock but I didn't see the clock. That wasn't important back then." I raised my head and flashed him a faint smile. "First, I thought that I forgot to lock the door but it turned out that I did. Then, I saw a bright light in my garden so I followed it. I was sure it was a burglar who turned the lamps on, however, outside I just saw the light. And it was hiding behind our old ash tree."

"Did you see anything else?" Rhysand asked.

"No, I didn't." I shook my head. "It was just the light. After touching it, foolish me, I was sucked into it and the next thing I remember is opening my eyes and seeing you."

"I see. If I may… what were you doing before you went to bed?"

"Did you spend the evening with _someone _special?" Cerys asked with a grin, genuinely interested.

"A girl like that spending the evening with someone special? Please." Rian snorted and sipped the reddish liquid from his glass. Apparently, he had summoned it again.

I gritted my teeth. "I spent the evening with my _friends_… Something you surely don't have, Tinkerbell." I flashed him a crooked smile and went on, "We were watching the lunar eclipse. To be specific, the blood moon eclipse."

"That's interesting." Rhysand rubbed his jaw, thinking.

"Do you have any rituals connected with such eclipses?" Feyre asked. "I mean rituals involving… blood and… mating."

"Mating?" I repeated, feeling a bit confused. What did she mean by that? Suddenly, I realised. "Oh, you mean having sex?" I laughed. "No, we don't have things like that anymore. Hopefully." I bit my lip. "Well, it was just an astronomical phenomenon, watched by millions of people on Earth."

"Earth? Your land is called Earth?" Rian asked doubtfully, turning his now empty glass in his hands.

"Not land, our planet," I answered. "You know, a round thing with continents and oceans on it that is floating in space." Seeing their blank expressions, I rolled my eyes. "Anyway, the land I live in is called the United Kingdom."

"Ah, then maybe you are a princess," Ciaran beamed.

_Ciaran. I have finally managed to remember his name_, I thought.

I shook my head and, looking at Rian, I said, "I'm just an ordinary girl."

"That's a shame," he murmured, keeping his eyes on the glass. "I would like to get laid with a princess someday."

With my cheeks turning red, I said under my breath, "You must be really sex-starved, Tinkerbell. You keep talking about it."

Rian lifted his blue eyes and fixed them on me. "And you keep noticing it."

Then, he smiled.

It was his first genuine smile I had seen today. It lit his whole face, touching that wonderful mouth and striking eyes, and making him look breathtaking. Good God, I had never wished for a book character to be real but this time I had to make an exception. Despite the fact that he was rather nasty to me, I really wanted Rian to be a man I could meet and look at in real life.

Rhysand grunted. "Has it ever happened before? Has anyone from your… planet travelled to another court?"

"Not quite," I said. "In fact, I come from a land without magic."

"Really?" Meleri sounded surprised. "I thought there is magic everywhere. We have it."

I shook my head. "There were rumours and stories about magic on Earth but they were just made up. There was never magic in my world. And answering your question, I don't know how I got here and how was that possible."

"No one's asked a question," Cerys said, exchanging looks with Ciaran.

"I've said it just in case you've wondered," I murmured.

"How do you know about us?" Feyre asked.

That was a dangerous question. I didn't know how much I could reveal to them to seem truthful and at the same time not freak them out. Well, I had to tell them the basics.

"Are you hesitating, lovely Alexandra?" Rian asked.

Ignoring him, I confessed, "I read about you."

By their confused looks, I realised they didn't expect to hear something like that. But if you have said A, you must also say B.

"The stories were mostly about you," I added and looked at Feyre, "and what happened underground with that red bitch and afterwards. I read also about the Cauldron and your sisters. Obviously, about your court." I looked around at the beige walls. "And I hope we aren't in the underground Court of Nightmares… or another weird place I read about."

The silence wasn't a good sign, but I went on. It was time to say C. "There was also information about the war with Hybern and getting rid of that old geezer, the king. About you destroying the Cauldron, saving Prythian and…" I glanced at Rhysand. Swallowing hard, I said quietly, "You dying and being resurrected."

"Holy. Burning. Hell," he concluded.

Upsy-daisy. I knew I said too much.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Was there anything else?" Feyre asked quietly.

"No, nothing else," I said. I couldn't tell her that I read a short story about them having wall-sex in a cabin and probably creating that muppet, could I? I glanced at Rian who was observing me.

"Not a word about me?" he asked. "Ouch, that hurts. I must try harder next time to get to the pages. But tell me, lovely Alexandra, who wrote such wonderful books?"

"I don't know." I knew my answer was way too fast but I hoped it wouldn't give me away. "The books were written anonymously."

"Were they?" Rian wondered. Out of the blue, he appeared next to me and slung his arm across the back of my chair. "You know, you can tell me everything," he whispered, touching the sleeve of my bathrobe and going down to my hand. "Everything that is on your mind. Your deepest secrets and fantasies, too. I'm a good listener." Rian interlaced his long fingers with mine and, lifting our joined hands to his mouth, pressed a kiss on the back of my hand.

"Oh, God," I breathed, looking at him and totally giving in his charm.

I needed this badly. I needed to be touched, and kissed, and whispered to. I had spent lonely months, treacherously reliving every moment of forgetting myself with Henry, and longing for his kisses and the feeling of his hands on my body. I had imagined the countless times when we got to the second or even third base, wanting more and more. Apparently, it was _I_ who was sex-starved, not him.

Being unable to avert my gaze from Rian, I let my eyes wander around his handsome face, now smiling to me seductively. "What will it be, Lexi?" Rian asked softly. "Will you tell me who wrote those books?"

_"What will it be, Lexi?" Henry asked, closing the car boot and lifting our suitcases. It was the first day of our four-day stay in his parents' lake house and we were the first ones to arrive. The rest of our friends were still on their way to Lake District to spend the best New Year's Eve in the world. "Where will we sleep? In the master bedroom?"_

_I laughed, following him into the house. "If you think you can persuade me to give you more tonight… I have to disappoint you. Not yet, darling."_

_"Well, at least it was worth trying." Henry stopped for a moment and put the suitcases on the ground. "I've forgotten something," he said unexpectedly._

_"What is it?" I asked, feeling confused._

_"This." He pulled me up to him and kissed passionately._

Overwhelmed by the sudden and painful memory of Henry, I drew back from Rian and yanked my hand from his grasp. Sitting far from him and avoiding eye contact, I said, "I'm sorry, I don't know who wrote them. There was no name."

Rian sighed with resignation and murmured, "I see." But he didn't move back to his chair.

The room went quiet.

"We will try to find Bryaxis and do something with the bargain," Feyre announced. "In the meantime, Meleri will show you your room and provide refreshments."

I looked at her. "Thanks but I don't need a room. I won't stay that long."

"Nonsense." Rhysand stood up, clearly ending our conversation. "You are our guest after all and we want to host you."

"Can she stay in my bedroom, Father?" Meleri asked. "It's quite big and… she won't feel alone here."

The High Lord of the Night Court regarded his youngest for a moment but then said, "Fair enough."

Meleri smiled and approached me. "Come, I'll show you my bedroom," she said, taking my hand. And we disappeared.

###

Meleri's bedroom was really spacious and bright. It had high beige walls made of the same stone I saw previously and two big windows overlooking the woods, making the inside illuminated and cosy. Her dark bed stood in the centre of the room and I noticed it had a beige canopy. Lucky she. I had always wanted a bed with a canopy but my room wasn't big enough for such unnecessary extravagance.

Looking around, I said, "Wow. Your bedroom is… amazing."

"Thank you." She smiled and sat on her bed. "I like it a lot. Though, I preferred the one at the mansion." She sounded a bit upset.

"So what happened to it?" I asked. I remembered vaguely that Rhysand created a house for Feyre in that hidden city after they married. But apparently this wasn't it.

"It burnt last month. My parents were away at that time and I was flying with Rian above Velaris. When we got back, it was gone."

"I'm so sorry, Meleri," I said, sitting next to her and holding her hand. "It must have been awful."

"It was." She sniffled, letting me hold her hand.

Okay. I had to admit I wasn't good with children. I had no idea what to do or say to comfort her. So I decided to quickly change the subject. "You said you were flying. Do you have wings?" I asked.

"No, I don't. But Rian does." Meleri stood up and stretched her arms. "That big!"

"Of course. How could he not?" I murmured and then said louder, "That's fantastic. Do you like flying with him?"

She nodded. "He's one of the best flyers in Prythian."

"One of the best?" I repeated and smirked. "So he's not _the best_?"

"Well, it's hard to choose between Mother, Father, Uncle Cass, Conri, and him. I love flying with all of them, you know." Meleri sat on the bed again and her violet eyes beamed with joy. "And I like winnowing but I don't do it often. I'm rather afraid I will spoil it and end up somewhere remote." Her smile faded.

Unexpectedly, we both heard Rian's voice, "Don't worry, Melly Jelly. You'll learn in no time."

Setting my eyes on the door, I saw him leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed. He was looking at his younger sister with a faint smile. "All you need is patience, practice and a good teacher," he said with tenderness in his voice that didn't quite fit him.

"Rin, are you spying on us?" Meleri asked.

"No, I'm just checking on you." Still not moving from the doorway, Rian fixed his eyes on me. "Father feared you'd harmed our guest on the way here."

I glimpsed at Meleri who suddenly blushed. Feeling rather uneasy, I said, "I'm perfectly well, thanks."

"Thank the Mother," Rian answered and disappeared.

He was the weirdest man I had ever met in my whole life. I couldn't work him out; one minute he was Prythian's greatest playboy, posing as sexy, seductive and sensuous, and the next an arrogant and cold-hearted bastard, ready to squash you like a bug. I didn't know which Rian was the real one, though I wasn't going to stay here long enough to find out.

"He isn't married, is he?" I asked Meleri, staring at the now empty doorway.

"Rian? No, he isn't. Though I know that he was once in love. It was long before I was born. But… it didn't end well," Meleri whispered.

"I see." Turning my eyes on her, I pondered over her words. She said that Rian was in love long before she was born. But what did she mean by that? Was she really a child or an adult in a body of a child? Well, curiosity killed the cat but hell with that. "How old are you?" I asked.

"I'm twelve."

"So you're very young." At least I knew she was like a normal child. To some extent of course.

She shrugged and lay on the bed. "I'm the youngest. I've always been. My siblings had all grown up by the time I was born. You see, Cerys and Ciaran are now seventy-eight and Rian is one hundred and three."

Blood rushed to my head, making this rumbling sound. "What?" I gaped.

"We're Fae. We could live hundreds of years. My father is almost six hundred and forty, and mother is one hundred and twenty-five. You didn't know?" she asked, looking at me.

_One hundred years_, I thought._ Over one hundred years have passed in Prythian since the end of war with Hybern and the ending of the trilogy. Over one hundred years of new events and new people I've never heard of. But that's impossible._ I looked at Meleri and mumbled, still shocked by the news, "I… I haven't expected this."

"Well, that's true." She shrugged, sitting up. "I'm not lying."

"I do believe you. But it's hard to comprehend all of this," I admitted. "And your parents surely don't look that old."

"After reaching eighteen, I will stop aging, too," she said with a smile. "And for the next couple of hundred years I will look the same. Just like my father." Meleri stood up and approached her dressing table. Looking at herself in the mirror, she chuckled. "Hopefully, I will take after my mother and be as beautiful as her."

I smiled back at her. "No doubt."

Meleri turned around. "My mother wants to know if you're hungry."

Blinking with surprise, I said, "No, I'm not. How did you–"

"I can read her mind, just as she can read mine." She broke in. "Even if we are miles away from each other, our whole family can do that. So if you ever see Ciaran and Rian smiling wickedly to each other, remember – they might gossip right in front of you and you wouldn't even know that!" She laughed.

"Yeah, I'll bear that in mind." I was sure that handsome muppet would do that in front of my eyes and have the time of his life.

I looked at my white bathrobe. "Um… Meleri, is there a place I can borrow some clothes? Because I don't feel comfortable enough in this one."

Meleri eyed me. "I think I can get that done."

"Thanks a lot." I smiled and opened my mouth to say something about the choice of clothing but she vanished into thin air. "Not again," I grunted.

Glancing about the room, I set my eyes on the doorway.

The open door of Meleri's bedroom had been inviting me to explore the rest of the house since the moment we came in. I didn't know where she had gone to get some clothes for me but I was left alone in somebody else's house. And that house was probably somewhere in the Night Court which – from what I remembered – was quite big. So in either event, I could have been in the middle of nowhere with no way of escaping or coming back home. Yay.

_Good God, what have I done?_, I thought for the millionth time, standing up and looking at the woods outside. For miles and miles, there were only big dark coniferous trees covered with fog, making the whole area gloomy and deserted. I didn't see other houses, cities in the distance or even wild animals. There were just the trees and nothing else. _Indeed, in the middle of nowhere_.

Slightly turning my head, I glanced at the door. Well, I knew it was best to mind my own business and stay in Meleri's bedroom, but I was more than eager to walk around this huge building and search its every nook and cranny. I was in a bloody book, for fuck's sake! I had been already imagining all the weird rooms I would go into, all the peculiar fairies I would meet and all the stuff I would find. It was my one and only chance. Would someone find me, I could always tell them I got lost. So without a second thought, I went out of the bedroom.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

To my horror, all corridors looked just the same. They were wide, scarcely lit, and stretched shitloads of miles to the left and right. Panic-stricken and exhausted, I couldn't go back to Meleri's bedroom or trace the way to the library. Wherever my feet took me to and whatever doors I opened on the way, I always ended up in the same place – a round dim room with a black table and two chairs in the middle and a couple of bookcases against the walls.

After wandering about for hours, or at least it seemed so, I had no idea where I was anymore. I had no map, no food, and surely no clue what I was going to do next.

Now, sitting on the floor cross-legged, all I could do was stare into space and try not to cry. I knew I was lost. I knew I should have stayed in Meleri's bedroom and waited for her to return with some clothes for me. But I was stupid enough to unleash my curiosity and look where it got me. Straight to hell.

_I'm going to stay in this damn room forever_, I thought and leant my head against the wall. _And I'm going to die here and never go back home. Never see my family. Good God, I'm too young to die. _With my eyes closed, I sighed but didn't hear a thing. My eyes popped open.

"What?" I said but nothing came out of my mouth. "Oh, no." And again.

Slowly, I rose up and looked around the room. I noticed there was only one table and two chairs inside because the bookcases were gone. "Where are they?" I asked inaudibly, having forgotten myself. _Yeah, right._

Really frightened, I approached the three pieces of furniture that were left, and, setting my eyes upon the table in front of me, I touched its top with my fingertips. Yet, there was nothing odd about it – it was just a normal table.

_So what is going on?_, I thought, desperately wanting this to end. I closed my eyes and let out a sob. That was it for me. My mind was pushed to the limit and I was fed up to the freaking back teeth. "Please, stop it," I said speechlessly to no one in particular. "Please."

I sensed that something changed.

My eyes were still closed when I felt goose bumps all over my body. Then, I got the impression that something tingly and warm was pressing against the top of my hand and back.

"Took you long enough, princess." I heard a whisper in my ear and smelt something nice and sweet. "Come on, wake up, honey."

Unable to open my eyes, I noticed that the tingly sensation disappeared but I still felt warmth against my back and neck. It seemed like someone was nuzzled up to me but it was impossible. I was _alone_ in the room, wasn't I?

"Alexandra, wake up," a husky male voice said in my ear. "Come on, lovely Alexandra. You can do it, honey."

I moaned, still lost in the room, still unable to open my eyes.

"Lexi?"

"Wake up."

"Lexi!"

Unexpectedly, I opened my eyes and the first thing I saw was a worried face that belonged to a small girl. I didn't know where the hell I was or what I was doing. All I knew was that my heart was pounding and I heard a breath of relief from behind me. Looking around, I saw I was in a dim room, surrounded by some young people who were observing me intently but whom I didn't recognise.

"Thank the Mother," a female voice said. Then, I was approached by a dark-haired girl who looked really concerned. "Lexi, are you all right?" she asked.

I knew her voice.

"Give her a moment, Cerys," the male husky voice breathed again in my ear. Closing my eyes, I tried to clear my thoughts. I knew this voice too. "Sometimes it takes longer to come to your senses."

"Told you it was a very bad idea."

"Everything's fine. No one's got hurt."

"This time, Ciaran."

"Ah, stop it, sister. Rin had it all under control, didn't you?"

"Hmm."

"See? You can stop holding her, Rin. I don't know who's enjoying it more."

"Shut your mouth."

Slowly, everything was clearing in my head. The warmth I felt behind me disappeared and I was feeling cold. I remembered my journey through the light to Prythian and meeting Rhysand's family. I remembered I was invited to stay at Meleri's bedroom and decided to wander about the house when she offered to find some clothes. But I didn't remember how I got here. Or why I was now lying on my back dressed in the bathrobe Feyre gave me. Little by little, I opened my eyes and saw Meleri's face in front of me. "What happened, Melly?" I croaked, barely recognising my own voice.

"We–"

Cerys cut in, "We tricked you. Well, Rian did the whole thing but we participated in it."

"What do you mean you tricked me?" I asked, suddenly feeling scared.

"Well, we wanted to check if you're telling the truth and asked Rian to read your mind once again. This time… more personally." She started playing with her fingers and avoided eye contact. "He couldn't do this that way so he put you in some sort of… hallucination and tried to penetrate your mind. But it didn't work either."

"So we've decided to bring you back," Ciaran said. "For safety reasons, of course."

"That's very fucking kind of you," I spat and covered my eyes with my hand. Ciaran giggled. "How long have I been out?"

"About ten minutes," Rian answered.

I sat up on the sofa I was lying on and looked at him. The heir to the Night Court was sitting on a low chest of drawers with his arms crossed and regarding me carefully. The shadows around him were gone. "I thought it was hours," I said.

"No, just ten minutes. You might feel a bit uneasy now. But it will eventually go away."

Shooting him a discontent look, I grunted, "Thank you, Doctor House."

That was unbelievable. I had never thought that a bunch of idiots would someday decide to read my mind, naturally without asking for my permission, and _no one_ would even apologise for that. They didn't seem remorseful at all. They were all just standing there and staring at me as if I were some kind of exotic animal brought for their entertainment.

Come to think of it, I did feel like a unique specimen around them. After all, they were High Fae, very powerful magical creatures able to walk into another person's mind, control the elements and shapeshift, and I was a boring human being. Well, I was told I was _merely_ an ordinary mortal, wasn't I?

Setting my eyes upon Rian, I waited for him to look at me. When our eyes met, I stood up and started walking towards him. "Did you get the answers you were looking for, Tinkerbell?" I asked, coming to a stop right in front of him.

With Rian still sitting on the chest of drawers, our eyes were at the same level. Only now did I notice the vast blueness of his eyes and his incredible mouth that had just quirked to the side. It wasn't a smile yet but it made his face even more beautiful. _It's a shame that you are such an arsehole_, I thought, studying him.

Suddenly, his shadows reappeared as if someone switched on some dark light. I trembled and wanted to draw back but I wasn't going to satisfy him with my reaction so I didn't move. Sadly, Rian noticed the shiver that ran through me because he leant forward slightly and said quietly, "No, I didn't."

I gritted my teeth and then answered, "Well, that was your one and only chance, Tinkerbell. Next time, I don't know how, but you're gonna regret doing that."

His eyes narrowed slightly. "Got it."

I took a step back, ready to return to the sofa when I heard a door creak open behind me. Turning around, I saw a tall, well-built guy with wings tucked in tight to his body who was standing in the doorway. He stepped into the room and grunted with a Scottish accent, "Rinny, we have a pro–"

His dark eyes immediately darted to me and a flirty smile touched his lips. "Hello, there," he said. "I didn't know we had company."

The winged Illyrian – because he had to be an Illyrian – had black hair and was dressed in dark leather. There was a long sword sheathed down his back and gAuntlets with blue stones on his hands. For a moment, I wondered if that was the famous Cassian or Azriel but a movement behind me drew my attention from that.

Turning around, I saw that Rian stood up and faced me. I had to lift my head to look at him when he said, "You know, lovely Alexandra, I suspected you would sneak out of her room so I waited for you and used my magic. Though I can't read your mind, apparently, I'm able to play tricks on it." He flashed me a cocky smile and winked.

"Fuck off," I snapped.

Rian laughed and approached the Illyrian who asked him in awe, "Where by the Cauldron did you find this woman?"

But it was Cerys who answered him, "Meleri kidnapped her." Then she got out of her chair and joined the two guys with Ciaran at her side.

"Did she? I didn't know you were able to go rogue, little cousin." The tall Illyrian flashed Meleri a smile.

"Well, it wasn't exactly a kidnapping," Meleri muttered, glancing at me. "It was more of… a journey."

"Cousin? He's your cousin?" I asked.

"This is Conri, Aunt Nesta and Uncle Cassian's son," Ciaran explained and slid his hands into his pockets. "Our cousin."

"So they are together?" I beamed and came closer to the door. "Nesta and Cassian are together. Like together together?"

Cassian's son exchanged a look with Rian and lifted his brows. "Err… Yes?"

"So you're their child? Their only one?" When he nodded, I exclaimed, "Wow. You're Nesta and Cassian's baby. That's so sweet! I have been always shipping them."

"Shipping?" Conri asked with uncertainty in his voice.

"Yeah. I mean… you know, supporting their relationship and everything." I stared at him for a while. "That's so fucking awesome. Cassian's baby. Rhysand's babies. Who else has a baby? Morrigan? Does Morrigan have a child? What about that golden-hair bastard? Does he too?"

Rian sighed. "He's dead."

I looked at him. "Tamlin's dead?"

"Yes."

After a while, I said, "I'm not even sorry."

"Me neither." Rian crossed his arms and set his eyes upon the Illyrian. "So what's the problem, Conri? Is it serious?"

"I'll tell you on the way to the House." Conri left the room and the five of us followed him. "I'll need the help of the grown-ups, Melly." He stopped when he spotted my little kidnapper at the back of the group. "And those who are dressed properly." Conri's eyes were moving up my body and I realised I was still wearing that damn bathrobe. I really had to change.

Crossing my arms, I said, "What? It's not my fault I'm wearing a damn robe."

Cerys rolled her eyes. "Melly will show you to her bedroom again where you'll find some clothes, Lexi, and in the meantime, we will deal with the problem." She cast a smile at Conri and opened her arms. Reluctantly, Cassian's son embraced her, and before anyone of us could say anything, the four of them had disappeared.

"I hate when you're doing that," I told Meleri.

She started walking down the corridor so I followed her. "And _I_ hate when they're leaving me behind," she said angrily.

"Hey, don't worry." I flashed her a smile but she didn't even look at me. "Your siblings care about you and that's why they don't want to expose you to any kind of danger."

When Meleri didn't say anything, I went on, "I always try to protect both of my sisters. And sometimes they don't like it either, just like you. But I'm their elder sister. It's my job to look after them."

I glanced at my little kidnapper to see if I convinced her, even to a small degree, but she was still angry so I stopped babbling.

After some time, we reached her bedroom. There, I saw lots of clothes on her bed. "You can choose anything you want," she said and sat down in the armchair next to a big window. "The bathroom is over there. I'll wait here."

So I grabbed the clothes and entered her bathroom. I knew I sucked with children.

* * *

**Pronunciation guide:**

Conri = [cun - ree] (meaning: wolf king)


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Made as if of chiffon, the clothes they prepared for me were gauzy and pastel coloured. There were two beautiful long dresses with short sleeves, three sleeveless tops with matching baggy harem trousers caught in at the ankle, and two pairs of very comfortable flat shoes. I hadn't expected so many things for me to wear and was surprised by the fairies' kind gesture. In the end, after much deliberation, I chose a baby blue top with harem trousers and white flatties.

Having folded the rest of the garments and put them on one of the cabinets, I left the enormous bright marble bathroom and found Meleri still sitting in the armchair next to the big window. "I thought you would choose something pink or yellow," she said, moving her eyes up my body. "But this one suits you." She smiled.

I peered down at myself. "Thank you. I liked that one."

"Do you want to have your hair brushed?" she asked, motioning to my ponytail.

"Oh, no, thanks. I prefer a simple ponytail. My hair isn't as long and gorgeous as yours so there's no need to let it down."

She nodded and looked outside, seeming now upset.

"So, what will we do now?" I asked, hoping to wander about the house. This time, I wanted to be accompanied by one of the residents and, luckily, there was one currently sitting in front of me. "Any ideas?"

"I thought about giving you a tour around the residence," my little kidnapper said absentmindedly, not looking at me. "But it's already dinner time and Mother wants us to join them in the hall. The tour must wait until tomorrow."

Feeling a bit disappointed, I flashed her a faint smile. "No problem. Lead the way."

Without saying a word, the youngest of Feyre and Rhysand's children got up and left the bedroom. I just had to follow her. So I did.

###

The residence I landed in was really enormous. There were lots of rooms and corridors that, thankfully, didn't look like those from Rian's hallucination. Instead, everything was bright, clean and lavishly decorated. I saw wonderful pictures on the walls, walked on soft carpets and smelt the scent of flowers. I thought I ended up in heaven.

At the end of our little journey, I saw stairs leading up. Meleri started climbing them and I followed her. Having reached the top, I immediately stopped and opened my eyes wide. Wow. What a view it was!

The first thing I spotted was the mountains. Huge, slightly capped with snow mountains that were stretching to the left and right, covering everything behind. And then I noticed the stars. A whole ocean of stars was floating in the night air, draping around the residence and slowly lulling it to sleep.

I took a step forward. To my surprise, the hall was open and had no windows, yet it was warm here. There were tall marble pillars, some dark curtains, pillows, and the endless night. Slowly, I approached one of the pillars and gazed down. "Careful there." I heard Rhysand's voice.

Underneath, all I could see was impenetrable darkness. Lifting my eyes, I glanced about. Mountains around. Stars above. And the open hall behind me. Only then did I realise where we were.

With my heart pounding in my throat, I looked over my shoulder. My hosts were sitting at a long glass table in the middle of the hall, paying attention to the food in front of them. I looked outside again and said, "Wow. That's your _house_. The one at the top of the mountain. The magical one."

"Then you've heard about that place too," Feyre remarked.

I faced them and then shrugged. "Well, yes."

Rhysand motioned to the table they were sitting at. "Come dine with us."

"Thank you."

Coming closer, I noticed the glass table was laden with several wine bottles and plates with chicken, vegetable salads, and bread. There were even cupcakes, chocolate cookies, and a pie with strawberries and whipped cream on the top. Apparently, they had a surprisingly healthy appetite before going to bed.

"You can sit next to me." Meleri patted the chair on her left and then drank some wine. The chair was between her and Rhysand.

Lifting my brows, I regarded the place and asked, "Are you sure you want me to sit there?"

"Oh, come on, Alexandra," Rhysand said, flashing me a smile. "I'm not biting."

Feyre, who was sitting opposite him, snorted. "Unless someone asks you to."

Rhysand winked at his wife and whispered, "Feyre darling, not in front of the girls." Then he looked at me and added, "I'd be delighted to sit next to you, Alexandra. Please, take a seat."

"Okay." I sat next to him and immediately felt a bit awkward. Keeping my eyes on the plate in front of me, I didn't dare to look at him; after all, I was sitting next to _the_ Rhysand, the book character I had had a secret crush on for years.

The room went silent as everyone busied themselves with eating.

"In the main chamber, you've said there isn't magic on your Earth. Is your world much different than ours, then?" Feyre asked.

Glancing at her, I said, "Yes, it is. But I'm not sure how to explain it."

"Try us. Wine?" Rhysand lifted the bottle but I shook my head. I wasn't going to let them get me drunk and then ask all kinds of inconvenient questions. Well, at least people in films did such things. "Don't worry. It's not the fairy wine," he said with a smile. "We're not going to get you drunk tonight."

I laughed nervously. "That's great. But are you _really_ sure you can't read my thoughts? That was exactly what I've thought about."

Rhysand put away his fork and stared at me for a while, making me feel even more nervous. Gazing at his face, I couldn't help but notice his shiny raven hair and incredible violet eyes. _No wonder Feyre fell in love with you_, I thought. _I would gladly do the same._

"I'm sure," he said, shooing me.

_What was the question again?_

Rhysand looked at the red liquid in his glass and added, "There is… there is emptiness in your mind. Like a void with literally nothing inside." I felt a cold shudder. "It's really hard to explain as I have never seen anything similar." He drank the wine. "All minds, protected by a shield or not, have memories and thoughts inside. Yours doesn't. And that's odd." He gave me a serious look.

I swallowed hard. "But I do have memories and thoughts."

"Oh, I'm sure you do," he said. "They're just…" he sighed, "impossible to reach."

"That may be cold comfort, but they are impossible for _any_ of us to reach." Feyre leant back in her chair. "Maybe _you_ are the reason. Maybe you and your world without magic are somehow blocking us. I'm not an expert on mind reading, unlike my husband, but I've practised that skill over the years and I've never come across a mind so impossible to reach as yours. Even though it doesn't have a shield." She glanced at Rhysand. "I'm sure Rhys will agree with me."

He nodded but said nothing.

"Well," I said, sliding my empty glass across the table for Rhysand to fill it with wine. "At least no one will poke around my memories, trying to change them." After he poured me the red liquid, I bolted it all down.

Suddenly, we heard the sound of beating wings and three dark-haired figures rolled up in the hall. Their wings were huge, dark and bat-like, stretching far behind their backs. Surprised, I realised they seemed truly strong and _real_. That wasn't a special effect generated for the film and TV but actual wings. Honestly, I didn't see that coming.

After a second or two, the wings were gone as if taken by a blast of wind. The three fairies, now wingless, approached us and took their seats.

I suspected Rian had wings as he was a younger version of the man sitting next to me, but I didn't know Cerys and Ciaran had them too. Well, they had to inherit some of their parents' genes because both Feyre and Rhysand were able to create wings at will and then fly.

Rian glanced at me while taking a seat _right_ in front of me as it was the only place left.

"Oh, Batman graced us with his royal presence." I smirked.

"Aw, one would say that you are jealous, lovely Alexandra," he said, drawling, "since the last time I checked you didn't have any wings."

"Why would I even need ones?" I flinched at his words. "I would look as ridiculous as you, Tinkerbell. No offence," I added, flashing the rest of them an apologetic smile.

Cerys poured herself wine and said, "None taken."

"Mother above. I'm starving," Ciaran exclaimed, reaching for a chicken thigh and a roll.

"What took you so long?" Rhysand asked, leaning back in his chair and setting his eyes on his children. "I thought you'd be back before dusk and it's already night."

"So did we." Rian stabbed a piece of tomato with his fork. "But we encountered some unforeseen delays," he said and pointedly looked at his brother, "which slowed us down."

Ciaran huffed. "I said I'm sorry, Rin. I didn't do it on purpose."

"Sure." He nodded several times.

"I'll talk with you later in the office," Rhysand broke in. "With _both_ of you."

Looking from Rian to Ciaran, I drank my wine that had been filled again by Rhysand and wondered what happened. It had to be something serious as the handsome muppet seemed quite angry with Ciaran.

"So what did you do when we were gone, Lexi?" Cerys asked.

I flashed her a smile. "Nothing special. I got new clothes since my old ones were deliberately _destroyed_." I set my eyes upon Rian who gave me a lazy smile. "Apart from that, Melly promised to show me around your residence tomorrow and I'm really waiting for it. This room is already amazing." I looked around the hall with a grin. "I've never seen anything like this in my whole life."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Rian lifted a single eyebrow just for a moment. But that was enough for me. "What?" I asked.

"I didn't say anything." He furrowed his brows.

"You didn't have to, mate."

"I'm not your _mate_," he spat. "So stop calling me that."

This time it was my turn to furrow my brows. "What's that supposed to mean? Because I'm rather confused."

Rian put his hands on the table and leant across it, saying coldly, "So let me make it clear – I don't wish to be called '_mate'_ by you as you are not my mate and never will be. I've never seen you as my potential partner or love interest, regardless of what Bryaxis might have said and promised my sister." He looked at Meleri and then fixed his eyes on me. "This, by the way, was very foolish of her. In any case, lovely Alexandra, be so kind and don't _ever_ call me 'mate.' All right?"

Feeling really ashamed and hot on my cheeks, I replied, "Okay. I'm sorry. It's just a way of saying 'man' or 'bro' in the UK. It doesn't mean anything offensive."

"And?" Rian was still looking at me expectantly.

I sighed. "Fine. I'll never call you 'mate' again."

"Promise?" he asked and extended his hand.

"Rian, don't," Rhysand warned. But his eldest son just ignored him; he didn't even glance at his father as he was staring at me with his right hand outstretched.

I furrowed my brows. "What's going on?"

"Do you promise, Alexandra?" Rian repeated and glanced at his hand. "To never call me 'mate' again?" He fixed his stare at me.

I wanted to get over it, so rolling my eyes, I took his hand and answered, "Yes, I promise."

"Excellent." Rian grinned, still holding my hand.

The air between us stirred and I smelt something metallic. Looking around, I let go of his hand and was searching for the source of that smell. Not finding it, I set my eyes on him again and I felt a cold shudder that gave me goose bumps all over my body. Belatedly, I had come to realise what all of that meant.

"Oh, no," I said and felt that blood drained from my face.

Rian gave me a seductive smile. "Oh, yes."

I had just made a deal with the devil.


	12. Chapter 12

**_Previously on "A Court of Fear and Ice"_**

_Lexi travels to Prythian and meets Feyre and Rhysand. She finds out they have four children: Rian, the heir to the Night Court, twins Cerys and Ciaran, and Meleri - who is responsible for bringing her to their world. Sadly, things between Lexi and Rian aren't going well, though she finds him super attractive..._

* * *

**Chapter 12**

"What have you done, arsehole?" I exclaimed, frantically looking at my hands, forearms and arms in search of a hideous tattoo. "Tell me!"

"I suppose it runs in the family," Ciaran observed, shaking his head and laughing under his breath.

Rian slang his arm across the back of Cerys's chair and said, "Don't worry. The tattoo is not that visible."

I stopped gazing at my hands. "So you _did_ put a tattoo on me."

"I did. Check your _beating_ _heart_, honey."

Frowning, I lifted slightly my top and there it was – a short black writing in a language I didn't recognise, proudly presenting itself above my left breast. Above _my beating heart_. My pulse immediately started to race so fast that I was afraid I would get a freaking heart attack.

I looked at Rian with a murderous look in my eyes and asked through my gritted teeth, "What. Is. This?"

"Let me see." Cerys smiled happily and approached me. Having reluctantly showed her the tattoo, she laughed. "Mother save us. You've put your own name on her heart? Rian! That's insane." Cerys burst out laughing.

"He did what?" I gasped.

Wiping tears from her eyes, Cerys answered, "He put his name on you. Oh, girl. It will _finally_ cause a sensation in our court." She sat on her chair again.

Rian shrugged. "No, not a sensation. I just wanted to see if I were able to give her a Night Court tattoo since I couldn't read her mind. And I did it."

"Yeah, you did. So now blank it out, m–" I said, suddenly unable to pronounce the word 'mate.' I tried once again but to no avail. "M–"

"See? It's working." Rian giggled. "Be grateful, lovely Alexandra, it's not a lower-back tattoo with my nude picture." Rian moved his eyebrows up and down several times.

I wasn't grateful at all. I was furious at that handsome muppet for tricking me and doing something without my permission. Again.

I glanced at the tattoo. "Bloody hell."

Rhysand was serious when he said, "Rian, remove it."

"No, Father, I won't." He flashed him a feisty look. "This was the only way I could have stopped her from calling me '_mate_.' Call it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She'll never say that word again."

"Son, please. Remove the tattoo," Feyre said, seeming very worried. "She didn't know what she was doing–"

Rian's face tensed as he said a quiet, "No."

After that, he disappeared.

Feyre covered her eyes with a hand and murmured, "I don't know what's going on with him. This is not the Rian we raised."

"Oh, but it is." Ciaran drank his wine. "And I know exactly why he's behaving like that."

"Do shed light, brother" Cerys said, turning her head towards him. "Don't keep it all to yourself." But Ciaran just smiled mysteriously and said nothing.

Rhysand shook his head and then flashed me a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Alexandra, but I can't remove it. Rian must do it himself. Willingly."

Lowering my head, I sighed. "I understand."

"We'll talk with him tomorrow," Feyre said. "Sometimes you have to sleep through your bad feelings and everything seems better the next day." Smiling, she added, "So don't worry. He'll come around in the morning and eventually remove the tattoo."

"I hope so."

"You're lucky it's not a promise that you can't follow through on," Meleri said with seriousness and I fixed my eyes on her. I'd almost forgotten she was sitting next to me. "I thought you'd be wiser and wouldn't take the bait. But you nosedived into that promise faster than an arrow released from a bow." She lowered her eyes and went on, "After all, Rian is our father's son and was taught everything Father knows. Including lying, making bargains and tricking others into sly promises." My little kidnapper looked at me. "I'm really sorry it had to be you, Lexi," she added sympathetically.

"Yeah," I whispered, still feeling the tattoo on my skin. "Me too."

Angry, embarrassed and shocked, I knew I had to treat it as one in the eye for me. As Meleri said, I took the bait and let him get to me, without even thinking about the consequences. I forgot I wasn't home anymore, where people made and broke promises just like that; now, I was in a weird land where every word and every promise were of value and absolutely _anyone_ could make use of them. To their own advantage, of course.

I had to promise myself one thing – to never do that mistake again. I had to be more careful around Rian and stop irritating him on purpose. Though he was the son of Feyre and Rhysand – so the two people who were described as righteous and goodhearted – he was a one-hundred-year-old fairy brought up to stand up to the whole fairy world and rule an enormous court one day. He was raised to be the next High Lord.

Sipping my wine and gaping at the mountains in front of me, it occurred to me that I had to somehow win him over to have the tattoo removed. That I had to _apologise_ to him for calling him 'mate,' which was in itself just ridiculous.

"Any news about the whereabouts of Bryaxis?" Rhysand asked, making me come back to earth. Well, to Prythian.

"No, we're still searching for it." Ciaran was playing with his food. "We thought me had something tonight but it was a wild goose chase."

"The information was provided by our _dear_ silver-haired Eirwen," Cerys ground out and glared at him.

_Eirwen?_, I thought. _I've already heard that name. Oh, yeah. She's Rian's bride-to-be._

Ciaran snorted. "It wasn't her fault we came upon a pack of the naga."

"Do I want to know how you defeated them?" Rhysand asked his two children.

"No, not really," Cerys shook her head. "It was just _bloody_… bloody difficult."

"But here we are." Ciaran smiled. "Safe and sound. As always."

"Stop pulling faces, Rhys," Feyre said and giggled. "We were the same in the past. Or even worse than our children." She appeared next to Rhysand and caressed his cheek. "Remember how you sent me to steal the ring form the Weaver?" she whispered. "Or how we attempted to destroy the Cauldron in Hybern? The prison? The cabin? Remember?" She got closer to him as if to kiss him.

But then I chimed in, ruining their moment, "Or when you found the book in the Summer Court with Amren in the underwater building and those aquatic things came to rescue you."

Feyre stopped halfway and opened her mouth, staring at me with disbelief in her eyes. Rhysand didn't seem surprised but gave me a curious look. I didn't look at the others as I was sure they were looking at me with huge surprise.

"I think I've said too much, haven't I?" I asked quietly, biting my lip and feeling my cheeks turning red.

"You know, I'm starting to wonder what else you know about us." Rhysand regarded me. "Or I should say… what else was in those _stories_."

"You'll be surprised, m–" _Dammit_. I exhaled slowly. "Bloke. Hope it's not an offensive word here."

Cerys smiled. "No, we simply don't have such a word."

"Wicked."

"You're stranger than I thought," Ciaran said and lifted his brows. "Way stranger."

"Thank you. That's very sweet of you." I flashed him an innocent smile.

He toasted me. "The pleasure is all mine."

The rest of the meal passed in silence as everyone seemed to be deep in thought. Except me. I was so exhausted that all I wanted to do was return to Meleri's bedroom and get into the bed. But I wasn't sure if there was one prepared for me. Well, to be honest, I wouldn't mind sleeping on the floor though.

"Melly," I said, "do you mind going back to your bedroom?"

"Are you tired?" she asked. When I nodded, she added, "Well, so am I. Let's go to my bedroom." She stood up and smiled broadly. "Thank you all for dinner. We're going to bed."

"Yeah, thanks." I got up and glanced at Rhysand. "Hopefully, tomorrow will be slightly better than tonight."

He gave me a reassuring smile. "I know it bothers you, Alexandra, but Rian will remove the tattoo. I'm sure of it."

"Wish I was so certain," I murmured and fixed my eyes on Feyre and Meleri.

The Lady of the Night Court was approached by my little kidnapper who hugged her mum and whispered something in her ear. Feyre smiled and pressed a kiss on her daughter's forehead, saying quietly, "Sleep well, my sweet baby."

Then, Meleri turned to Rhysand who kissed her forehead as well and caressed her cheek, smiling. He didn't say anything but I was sure they were talking in their minds.

"Goodnight," Meleri said and started walking towards the stairs. "Are you coming, Lexi?"

"Yeah. Goodnight and thank you." I flashed everyone a smile and left the hall with my little kidnapper.

###

When I woke up in the morning, I had no idea where I was. I knew I was lying in a very comfortable bed that smelt like jasmine and was absolutely enormous, yet it wasn't mine. I knew I was in a bright and spacious room with big windows, yet it wasn't mine as well. I also knew there was someone sleeping in the bed next to me, yet it wasn't anyone from my family. I needed a couple of second to remind myself that I travelled through a portal to a magical world and spent a whole night in it.

Surprisingly, I didn't sleep well. Tossing and turning throughout the night, I had weird dreams full of black tattoos, dark-haired men and beams of light. Now, lying on my back and watching the ceiling of Meleri's bedroom, I hoped Rian wasn't involved in creating my dreams. Hell, I _really_ hoped he didn't star in any of them because that would be simply creepy.

Some time later, fresh and sweet, together with Meleri, we walked into the hall when rays of the morning sun were slowly illuminating the room. The stars were gone but everything else was as breathtaking as I remembered from the other night.

Cerys and Feyre had been already in the hall, eating fruit and quietly talking. They were wearing similar beige clothes, sleeveless tops and baggy harem trousers like me, and their hair was braided. When Meleri's sister noticed me, she waved at me with a grin on her face. "Good morning," she cheered, motioning to the chair next to her. "This time, you'll sit by my side."

"Hello." I flashed her a smile. "Thanks." Approaching her, I realised there was no sign of the handsome muppet. "Where's Rian?" I asked, sitting next to Cerys and pouring myself a glass of orange juice.

"He's gone," Feyre said, not even glancing at me. "But he'll be back soon."

Meleri seemed surprised when she asked, "He's gone so early?"

"He _said_ that he had a matter of great urgency to attend to." Cerys rolled her eyes. "But if you asked me, he wanted to simply avoid Father."

I frowned, putting some pancakes on my plate. "Is that even possible?"

"You'd be surprised, girl." Cerys laughed and threw a blueberry at Meleri who opened her mouth and caught it. "Even that young one tried to get away from him and succeeded. The High Lord of the Night Court isn't as powerful as you may think, Lexi."

Feyre grunted, giving her a stern look.

"When it comes to his children, of course" Cerys added.

"I see." Busying myself with eating, I tried to hide my smile.

"Ready for the tour around the house?" Feyre asked and I nodded. "Meleri kept talking about it the moment you opened your eyes this morning."

"You knew when I opened my eyes?" I asked my little kidnapper, feeling a little scared._ Good God, they are all creepy_, I thought.

"Of course. I know everything," she said quietly. "Though I'm the smallest of us all."

"And the sweetest." Cerys blew a kiss at her. "Oh, she's growing so fast. Can you imagine she was so small when I held her for the first time?" She cupped her hands, demonstrating the size. "And now she's a beautiful grown-up female ready to find her mate."

_Mate_. I frowned. Since last night, I'd started to hate that word.

"When you'll have your own children, sweetie, you will experience it many times," Feyre said. "Especially with your eldest ones."

Her face grew serious as dark shadows started to form on the chair next to her. After a while, a dark-haired man was sitting there with his ankle crossed over a knee and leaning back in his chair. To my surprise, Rian was wearing a grey shirt and black trousers today, and his hair was a bit wet. "Good morning, everyone," he said cheerfully. "How's your breakfast?"

"It was delicious before you came here." Cerys flashed him a fake smile. "Did you sleep well, brother?"

Rian poured himself tea. "Well, yes. My bed was very soft and smelt really _good_."

Cerys made a wry face. "You're disgusting."

"Thank you, love. That's very sweet of you." He put sugar into his cup and waved his hand, making the liquid to stir. I watched him with fascination. I didn't know they were able to do such things. "So how's my favourite human girl?" Rian asked and our eyes met.

Smiling, I said, "Ready to get rid of her tattoo."

He laughed quietly. "Oh, no, not yet, honey."

"Then when?" I twisted my mouth.

"Soon."

Feyre studied him. "But Rhys was supposed to talk with you about the tattoo."

"Ah, then you sent our father to–"

I chuckled.

"What's so funny?" he asked with a serious face.

"Sorry. There's a prayer in my world that starts with these words."

"So you're praying to our father?" Cerys asked with surprise in her voice.

I frowned. "No. We've got a more powerful one on Earth. Well, in fact, He's not present on Earth, but leave it that way."

Cerys and Rian exchanged looks.

"Yesterday, you started telling us about your world," Feyre said. "But then we got distracted. Do continue. I'd like to hear more about it."

"I'm all ears, your highness," Rian whispered, keeping his eyes on me and flashing me a cocky smile.

Blushing, I came to realise those were the exact words I said to him in Rhysand's office. "Well," I started, staring at my last pancake, "there isn't any magic, as you know, and we have sophisticated technology, starting with electric devices, the Internet, cars, and ending with planes and space rockets." I looked at them.

"Doesn't ring any bells," Rian said, frowning and putting toasts on his plate. "What are space rockets anyway?"

"These are… big machines that can take you up there." I pointed at the sky. "You can see the whole world from above. And the stars."

Cerys clapped her hands in delight. "Oh, I like it. We should build a rocket ourselves."

"It's not that simple." I smiled. "I think you would need an engine to move it from earth. And some fuel."

"No worries," Rian said and winked at me. _He winked at me?! _"We'll make it. You just have to draw us a rocket and we'll do the rest."

I opened my mouth ready to say something rude to him, when suddenly I came up with an idea. A sly smile started to spread across my face. "In exchange for removing the tattoo."

Trying to hide his smile, Rian put his toast aside and leant back in his chair. Then, giving me a long stare, he said, "You're learning, honey. I'm impressed. Yet," he went back to eating his toast, "I will not remove the tattoo, lovely Alexandra. At least not yet. I hope it will teach you a lesson."

"You can't be serious, m–" I fumed, slamming my fist on the table. All glasses, plates and silverware clattered but I didn't give a damn. All I could see was Rian and his handsome smiling face. "I'm not going to parade around with your name above my breast like I'm your _possession_. I've been through this with another guy and I regret every freaking moment of it." My eyes started to sting at the memory of Henry but I blinked a couple of times. "I'm no one's possession, remember that," I whispered and stood up.

Avoiding eye contact, I started to walk towards the stairs. I wanted to be alone. I wanted to lie down on the bed and cry my heart out. I desperately wanted to forget about the whole world. About my past. About last New Year's Eve. But I couldn't. My thoughts were so focused on it that I wasn't able to think straight. Everything went back to me and was torturing me once again.

A single tear ran down my cheek but I wiped it out. As much as I wanted to, I just couldn't cry in front of them – in front of Rian. I knew it was a bad idea to show them I was weak and hurt as they could take advantage of it later. Last evening, Rian showed me that everything mattered here and could be used against you. I was a quick learner. I wasn't going to make the same mistake again.


	13. Chapter 13

**_Previously on "A Court of Fear and Ice"_**

_Lexi spends a whole day in the Night Court. At dinner, she promises Rian to never call him "mate" again and gets a tattoo in return. The next day, she tries to get rid of it but Rian doesn't want to remove the tattoo. After a small argument, she bursts out crying and leaves the hall, wanting to return to Meleri's bedroom._

* * *

**Chapter 13**

As I was walking slowly through the main corridor, my head was full of thoughts I didn't want to have anymore. I hoped I said goodbye to them many months ago but they were back. This time, they were nagging me and reminding of the times Henry treated me as his _possession_. As something he could just use and then put back on the shelf.

Back then, I didn't know he saw me as a rather interesting switch between his two girlfriends, his ex and soon-to-be one. Though I thought I was madly in love with him and started planning a future, he didn't even take me seriously. He was after one thing and now I was fucking glad I didn't give it to him.

Soon, the corridor forked to left and right. I was about to choose the right turning that would lead me to Meleri's bedroom when I heard steps in the other corridor. At first, I thought I fancied it but then I felt a blast of cold wind. Intrigued, I took a couple of steps forward and looked round the corner. There, I saw Ciaran who was talking with a white-haired girl standing with her back turned.

"Spying on them?" I heard a soft whisper in my ear and immediately shuddered. Turning slowly around, I saw a blond guy with brown eyes who was standing right in front of me. Dressed in blue, the guy was very handsome and had pointy ears so he had to be a fairy. When I shook my head, he flashed me a smile. "No? Oh my, can you speak, darling?" he asked with a British accent, similar to Rian's.

"Yhm," was my only answer. I didn't know him so why would I talk with a complete fairy stranger?

He laughed softly. "I see. Then what are you doing here?"

Before I was able to answer, I heard footsteps. Within two seconds, Ciaran stopped next to us and asked, "Lexi?" He was alone. Ciaran narrowed his eyes when he saw the blond fairy. "You've got the nerve showing up here," he said. "Where were you, you bastard?"

The fairy smiled. "Ah, if that isn't my favourite nephew then I'll be damned."

"Uncle Mel!" Ciaran gave him a big bear hug. "I haven't seen you for ages."

"Glad to see you, too, chap. I had some business to take care of. But I'm staying with you for a few days so we can catch up." The blond fairy put his arm around Ciaran. "And I think there's a lot to talk about, Cian." He glanced at me. "For starters, this pretty lady."

"Oh, yes. This is Lexi," Ciaran said. "Melly kidnapped her. For _Rian_."

"That's not entirely true," I said, frowning. "And I'm leaving soon."

"Oh my, she _can_ speak," the fairy whispered in awe. "Why didn't you tell me you could speak? I was trying to make you say something but you were just muttering."

Ciaran crossed his arms. "Give her time, Uncle. She has a lot to talk about, don't you, Lexi?"

"I'm sure she does." The fairy took my hand and kissed it, saying, "Hello. I'm Merlin."

I smiled. "Hi. It's nice to meet you, Merlin. I know a Merlin, you know."

"Please, don't mistake my name with the fish, darling. It's written quite differently though."

"Fish?" I lifted my brows. "Oh, no. In my world, Merlin was a legendary wizard. Actually, the greatest wizard in the whole history."

"Oh my, your world?" he asked, looking at Ciaran. "Where did Melly get her from?"

Ciaran shrugged. "Told you she kidnapped her."

"I would have never thought our little Meleri would kidnap someone so pretty," Merlin said with a grin and then placed a hand over his heart. "I don't remember the last time we had a human guest in the residence."

"I won't be staying long," I repeated. Glancing at Merlin, I tried to recall him from the books but I didn't remember such a guy. That's why I said, "Ciaran called you uncle. Are you two related?"

Merlin flashed me a smile. "Yes, the High Lord is my cousin. In the loosest definition."

I lifted my brows. Oh, God. I remembered there was something about the loosest definition of cousins when Morrigan was introduced. So was it possible for Merlin to be her brother? Did she really have a brother? "Are you Morrigan's brother?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm her younger brother." Merlin nodded.

"Wow. I didn't know she had siblings. Are there more of you?"

"No, just me and my beautiful face," Merlin said and regarded me carefully. "Do you know my sister?"

"Only by reputation."

"You know, Uncle, she knows _everyone_ in our court." Ciaran slid his hands into his pockets. "Father, Mother, Uncle Cass, Aunt Nesta… She read stories about us."

"Did she?" Merlin asked.

I smiled. Knowing our conversation was going into the wrong direction, I had to do something and start talking about a safe topic. "Do you live in the residence, Merlin?" I asked.

The blond fairy relaxed a bit. "Occasionally. I have my own house in the south. It isn't as impressive as this one but it's cosy."

"And it has three floors, over twenty bedrooms, and a huge orchard so it's _very_ cosy," Ciaran laughed.

Merlin made a bit of a pout and said, "I should be the one who is jealous, Ciaran. I'm not the younger son of a High Lord. And surely, I don't have such a residence."

"But you're older and more experienced…" Ciaran gave him a knowing smile. "And you can be my role model." Content, the blond fairy bowed slightly and then smiled.

"Men are weird," I muttered.

"We're not men. We're males," Merlin said in a slightly offended voice.

I rolled my eyes. "That's even worse."

"Lexi, if I may," Merlin whispered, taking my hand and kissing it once again. "I feel an overpowering grief that you think so little of males and men. Let me prove to you we are worth your while. Let me show you the incredible things we can do."

Now I blushed.

"Get away from her, you old prick," Ciaran said, pulling his arm. "She was brought for my brother, not you."

Merlin laughed. "Don't be such a spoilsport, Cian."

Pointing my finger at the younger fairy, I warned him, "Stop repeating that. Maybe I don't have any magic but surely I know how to use my fists. And you," I said to Merlin, "stop doing… whatever you're doing. I'm done with flirting for now."

"A little flirt never hurt anyone." Merlin flashed me a smile. "And besides, flirting is good for your body parts like–"

"All right!" I chimed in. "Spare me the details."

"But I've just wanted to say head and legs," the blond fairy said, making an innocent face, but I didn't believe him. "And you suspected the worst of me. Shame on you, Lexi."

Ciaran burst out laughing. "Sure."

"Younglings are all the same." Merlin shook his head. "You can only think about drinking, dancing and flirting."

Feeling awkward, I said, "Okay. So I'll be going." I started going back to Meleri's bedroom. "Have a nice day, guys."

"Are you really leaving us?" Merlin asked. "It was such a nice conversation."

Smiling and walking backwards, I added, "Yes, it was, but I must go. See you." I turned around and disappeared in the corridor that was leading to my little kidnapper's room. On the way, I overheard Merlin and Ciaran's conversation.

Merlin said in a slightly offended voice, "And you shooed her away."

"I did?" Ciaran asked with surprise. "You started talking about body parts."

"It's not my fault that she's an attractive human female. I like her. I've always liked the curvy ones most."

Inside, I cringed. _Good God_, I thought, walking faster, _they're starting to talk about me and my body_.

Ciaran seemed angry when he said, "As I said earlier… she was brought–"

"Yes, I've heard. For our dear Rian." Merlin sighed. "Yet, I'm sure he couldn't care less about that."

_Well, bloke, you couldn't be more right_, I thought, walking away from them. _He just doesn't give a shit about me_.

Suddenly, I felt a teeny weeny pang of regret. Most girls have always dreamt about meeting such a guy – tall, handsome, muscular, and a bit mysterious. Most girls have always wanted to fall for such a guy and know he feels the same, or even more. Most girls have always been afraid that such a guy would never notice them and simply pretend they don't exist. Most girls have always known they are not good enough for such a guy. Most girls, including me.

###

I was sitting in the armchair, with my feet tucked beneath me, and flipping through a book I found in Meleri's bookcase, when she unexpectedly appeared in her bedroom and scared the shit out of me. "We're going to Velaris!" my little kidnapper exclaimed.

I screamed, dropping the book on the floor, and then shouted, "I told you not to do this anymore!" I got down to lift the book and grunted, "You scared me to death, Meleri. Again."

"I'm sorry, Lexi," she said, approaching the armchair and picking the book faster than me. Only now, did I realise Meleri was truly a fairy, fast and strong. "I didn't mean to. You know I'm still working on my gifts." She looked at the cover and then handed me the book. "This one's my favourite. Rian gave it to me last year. It belonged to him."

After hearing that, I wanted to toss that book out the window. But instead, I said, "Wow. How thoughtful of him." Standing up, I walked up to the bookcase and put the book away on the shelf. "I'd better stop touching it. I don't want to destroy it, do I?"

Meleri flashed me a smile. "Don't worry. I'm sure you won't."

"Anyway, what about the tour around the residence?" I asked.

My little kidnapper waved her hand. "It can wait. I'll give you a tour around _the_ _city_." Her violet eyes started to shine with happiness. "The City of Starlight is incredible. Wait till you see the streets and the houses and the shops. And the Rainbow of course. I'll show you the House of Wind too." She stopped for a moment, deep in thought. "Though I would have to ask someone to get us there because I can't fly."

"Fantastic. Where will we stay?" I asked. "In a hotel?"

"What's that?" Meleri frowned.

Now it was my turn to frown. "A place where you can stay after arriving in a new place?"

"You mean an inn?" she asked. "Why would we stay in an inn when there's our townhouse? We're staying there."

I nodded. "Then lead the way, Melly Jelly."

She beamed and grabbed my hand. A second later the bedroom disappeared and we were standing now in a big blue room with lush sofas and armchairs which had to be the living room. Looking around, I noticed Rhysand and Merlin sitting on a beige sofa and chatting over a glass of wine. Feyre and Cerys were standing by the fireplace listening to Ciaran who was speaking with his hands. And the handsome muppet was sitting on a window sill and tossing an apple up and down.

He was the first one to notice our arrival. "Oh, my favourite sister and human girl," he said with a smile, still tossing the apple. "Glad to see you with all your limbs intact, lovely Alexandra."

I made a sad face. "Sorry to disappoint you, Tinkerbell. I'll ask Melly to try harder next time and have my head disappeared."

"I would pay to see that." Rian gave me a lazy smile.

"Father," Meleri said, approaching Rhysand and taking his hand, "when will we go?"

Rhysand flashed her a smile. "Soon, sunshine."

"Can we go now? Please." Meleri was still holding his hand and moving it up and down. "I want to show Lexi _our city_."

Focused on Meleri and Rhysand, I hadn't noticed that Rian appeared next to me. So when I turned my head left and saw him standing right beside me, I shivered and squeaked, "Shit."

He chuckled and then said, "Ops. I've forgotten you aren't used to winnowing." Somehow, I didn't believe him. I knew he must have done it on purpose, just to scare me. "I'm sure you know everything about the City of Starlight," he went on.

"Yeah. And the cabin you were made in, too," I muttered angrily.

"What?"

"What?"

_Fuck. I said that aloud._

"What cabin?" Rian asked, standing right in front of me.

I frowned, avoiding eye contact. "I don't know what you mean."

"You do." When our eyes met, I saw that Rian was looking at me with surprise. "You read a story about my parents who were making love in a cabin?"

Blushing, I averted my eyes and tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. "Yes?"

Rian snorted, drawing my attention. I looked up and saw he crossed his arms. Then, a sly smile started to spread across his face. "Did you like it?" he whispered, leaning in to me.

"It's none of your business," I said, feeling rather hot on the cheeks.

"Admit it. You liked it."

I started backing away. "Stop it, Rian."

"What a filthy mind you must have, lovely Alexandra," he said, amused, "to enjoy such stories." He regarded me carefully. "What else did you read? Other steamy pieces?" Rian moved closer to me. "Tell me, honey, what else did you read?"

I made another step back. "Nothing else."

"Lair. I can hear your heart and it's racing." Rian came closer.

"No, it's not. It's just your imagination, Tinkerbell."

"Oh, you have no idea what's happening in my head right now," he whispered.

Crossing my arms and lifting my chin, I said, "That's the last thing I want to know."

"If you two are done, I think we can go to Velaris." Rhysand stood up, holding Meleri's hand. Rian and I looked at them. "I'm taking Melly with me, Feyre will help Merlin and–"

All of a sudden Feyre, Merlin, Cerys and Ciaran vanished without a word. For a moment, I thought I saw smiles on the younger fairies' faces but they moved so fast I wasn't able to get a good look at them.

Rhysand sighed. "And you will take Lexi," he addressed Rian.

"I'm not going with him." I frowned, still crossing my arms. "I prefer to go with you."

"Why not me?" Rian asked, getting close to me again. "Wouldn't you like to _feel_ my body next to yours? Wouldn't you like to _touch_ my body? Be _touched_ by me?"

_Yes, yes, yes._

"No."

"I'm slightly offended by that, lovely Alexandra," Rian said with sadness in his voice.

"I couldn't care less, m–" Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself. "You know, you could have given me a flower tattoo."

"Where's the fun with such a tattoo?" he asked.

"I'll see you in Velaris," Rhysand said and hugged Meleri. Then, they were both gone.

Rian smiled to me and opened his arms, asking, "Are you ready, honey?"

"I'm. Not. Going. With. You. Honey," I said angrily.

He shrugged. "All right, suit yourself." And he vanished, leaving me alone in the living room.

I gasped helplessly, looking around.

"He left me," I said to myself. "That bastard left me… He really left me. Come on!" I shouted. "You can't just leave me here. Rian!"

"Can't I?" Rian asked softly, appearing in the room. He was sitting on the sofa's armrest. "You said it yourself you didn't want to go with me, so I left."

Having given a helpless, despairing sigh, I said, "It was before all of them disappeared. And now it's just you and me."

"Well done. You're a good observer." Cocking his head, Rian asked, "And?"

I bit my lip. _Good God, not again_, I thought, observing him. "Is that really necessary?" I asked.

Rian shrugged. "I had offered you my service _for free_ but you said no. Fine, no problem, I thought and winnowed. But then you called me, apparently wanting me to winnow you to Velaris. So here I am." He smiled. "Waiting."

Staring at his handsome face, I didn't say anything. Even though there was an innocent smile playing on his lips, I knew I shouldn't trust him. I had told myself yesterday I couldn't make the same mistake and agree to another ridiculous bargain. I knew there were consequences – sometimes visible ones as my tattoo – and I didn't need an extra problem, did I?

"I know you want to visit Velaris," Rian said, sliding his hands into his pockets. "I see it in your face. You can't fool me."

"Then what do you want in return?" I asked, slowly approaching him. "You wouldn't be telling me this unless you could gain some profit from it."

He flashed me a mysterious smile. "I'll think of something."

"You know I don't have money."

"I don't need your money. I have plenty of it. And besides, where would you get it from, honey?"

I stopped in front of him, gazing into his blue eyes. "I would think of something."

"Would you?" he asked doubtfully.

I shrugged. "I can always steal some quids."

Rian gave me a flirty smile. "I didn't know you had the makings of being a thief."

"You know nothing, Rian Rhysandson," I said, giggling. _Thanks, George._

The heir to the Night Court laughed and hung his head, shaking it. Thanks to his move, I had a chance to take a closer look at him. Rian's short hair seemed very soft and was so black that it had a blue gleam. The grey open-neck shirt Rian was wearing allowed me to see his tanned skin and I let my eyes linger there a bit longer. _God, what he must look like without it_, I thought. _Truly, a walking and breathing sex god._

"No one has ever called me that," he said, looking at me and breaking in my checking him out. "But I suppose I should be called like that as I don't have a family name."

"You don't?" I asked with surprise. Hell, I was waiting years to finally find out Rhysand's surname and he had just told me he didn't have one? Not fair.

"Didn't you know, lovely Alexandra?" When I shook my head, he said, "Then you were so absorbed in the story about my parents' lovemaking that you didn't pay attention to anything else, weren't you?" Rian smiled.

"Damn, I could have said nothing," I murmured. "What about going to Velaris?" I asked. "Will you take me there? Please?"

He regarded me for a moment. "You do realise I will ask for something in return."

"You said it yourself – I _want_ to visit the City of Starlight. And to do so, I need your help, oh, mighty Rian."

Rian lifted one of his eyebrows and gave me a sexy smile. "Go on," he said, crossing his arms.

So he was eager for praises? Interesting.

"Oh, magnificent Rian," I added. Never breaking eye contact, I put my hand on his wrist and slid it up his shredded arm, the same way he did it to me yesterday. "Handsome Rian. Sexy Rian. Fucking _awesome_ Rian." My hand was now caressing the back of his neck. I realised I was turned on. Looking at him and touching him were so exciting I wanted to nestle up to him and feel his arms around me. And then we could…

"I think I'm going to fall in love with myself," he purred, putting both hands around my waist and standing up from the armrest. I had to lift my head to look at him.

"Haven't you done it yet?" I laughed.

"Ah, right." Rian smiled. Then, after taking a deep breath, he asked, "Comfortable enough?"

"Yes, thank you." But I wasn't. It felt a bit weird to be hugged by him when I realised who it was. Honestly, I didn't remember the last time I was embraced by a guy who wasn't related to me and who was so freaking attractive. The only drawback of my current state was the fact that he didn't return my feelings towards him. "And you?"

"Not bad." Rian put his hand on my nape and said, "Hold on."

The living room disappeared.


	14. Chapter 14

**_Previously on "A Court of Fear and Ice"_**

_Angry at Rian, Lexi leaves breakfast and wants to go back to Meleri's bedroom. On the way, she meets Merlin, Morrigan's younger brother, who is visiting his family. Later that day, she finds out that the Night Court fairies want to go to the City of Starlight, and invite Lexi to stay with them. Having revealed a major spoiler to Rian about the books, Lexi has to go to Velaris with him._

* * *

**Chapter 14**

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was Rian's grey shirt. I realised I was nuzzling up to him and he was still holding his hands on my waist and nape. Lifting my head and moving slightly away to look at him, I saw he was peering down at me with a peculiar expression on his face. But it disappeared after a second, leaving just a slight smile in its stead. "Did you enjoy your trip?" he asked, letting go of me.

I shrugged. "It was tolerable."

Rian flashed me a grin. "Good," he said. "Follow me."

Having a look around, I noticed we landed in a big foyer. There was a small wooden bench, a standing coat rack and stairs leading to the first floor. I had no idea their foyers looked exactly as ours; sure, instead of lamps, they had big chandeliers with candles which had to be somehow powered by magic. But the rest was the same.

I also saw three closed doors that were leading to other rooms but Rian wasn't going to show me around. Instead, he approached the main door and, opening it wide, said, "Welcome to Velaris, the City of Starlight."

Shyly, I walked up to him and popped my head out but Rian shoved me gently out of the foyer. "Come on, Lexi," he said and closed the door.

The moment I got out I realised I felt like Harry Potter who entered Diagon Alley for the first time. Everything around me was incredible. All buildings looked like typical timber-framed Tudor houses with white walls and wooden roofs. The street I was standing on was cobbled and there were big magical lamps floating above the pavement. The people… Sorry, the extremely beautiful _fairies_ that were passing by were wearing all sorts of medieval clothing, including dresses with skirts that trailed to the ground and long tunics with knee-length capes. And the scent of the city… Never in my life had I smelt such a fragrance. It was an astounding mixture of lemon and salty breeze, just like it was described in the books.

Covering my eyes with a hand against the sun, I was gazing at all the wonders around me. "Unbelievable," I whispered. When I caught Rian's eyes, I gave him a broad smile. "It's better than I imagined."

"Glad to hear it. Let's go," Rian said, grabbing my arm, "everyone is gathering in the townhouse."

I frowned. "But I've thought we had already landed there."

"No, we hadn't. Sorry." He shrugged and then embraced me, putting his arm around my waist and pulling me closer. "Well, I think you're going to have trouble falling asleep tonight without me by your side." Before I was able to protest, Rian winnowed us – I had learnt that word at last – and I closed my eyes.

"Finally. I was beginning to worry about you two." I heard Feyre's voice. Slowly cracking my eyes open, I saw we were standing in another foyer but this one was much bigger and brighter. And quite crowded. Apart from me and Rian, there was Feyre, Meleri, the twins and Conri.

"We had a delay," Rian said and let go of me.

"Thanks." I flashed him a smile.

"Oh, don't thank me yet." He smiled. "Remember. I will ask for something in return. Soon." Rian and Conri disappeared in one of the doorways in the foyer, leaving me with Feyre and her children.

"What took you so long?" Cerys asked, approaching me and giving a nudge. "Were you doing other _things_?"

I crossed my arms. "What other things?" She gave me a knowing smile. "Of course not!" I hissed. "He had just winnowed us to another house."

"Another house…?" she asked, exchanging looks with Ciaran.

"Yes, very similar to this one." I looked around. "Well, I wouldn't be surprised if he had just broken into a random house... So this is your townhouse? _The_ townhouse, I suppose." I glanced at Feyre.

"That's right." She gave me a small smile. "Since the riverfront house is currently under renovation and we're having guests tonight, we'll be staying in the House of Winds."

"You will sleep in the same bedroom as Cerys and I," Meleri said, beaming. "If you don't mind, of course."

I shook my head. "Not at all."

"Excellent. Let's go to the courtyard garden, shall we?" Feyre left the foyer so the rest of us had to mince after her. We entered a short corridor with a doorway at the very end. "As you probably know, Lexi," she said, "we can't winnow into the House." I nodded. "So we will have to fly in there." She opened the door and I saw a small garden with a couple of trees and a summerhouse. "It will be easier to do that in the garden."

When I went outside, I had to cover my eyes again as the sun was shining and there weren't any clouds in the sky. "Fly in?" I asked.

_Oh, no._

Cerys pointed her finger behind us. "The House is over there."

Turning around, I saw a hill towering over the city. Wait, it was more of a castle built into a hill. And we had to fly up there. I felt a shiver of fear. "Do we really have to go up there?" I asked and then looked at all of them. "I'm afraid of heights." But my eyes darted back to the House.

Ciaran frowned. "So how would you go there?"

"Climb the stairs?"

Feyre shook her head and said, "It will take a long time. Flying in is faster."

"I'm afraid of heights," I repeated quietly, still looking at the hill.

Cerys approached me and put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't be afraid," she said. "You'll fly with our mother. All right? She will take care of you, Lexi."

"I like flying with Mother." Meleri smiled at me. "I always feel safe with her."

I shook my head several times.

I had always been afraid of heights. At the mere thought of having to go somewhere high I was starting to have interchangeably shivers and feelings of warmth. I wasn't even able to ride roundabouts or roller coasters as I was immediately feeling sick. Well, when I was a child, I had some rather _interesting_ moments in my life which involved feeding the fish. All in all, heights weren't my faves.

"What's going on?" Rian asked, coming into the garden with Conri. They both were wearing black leather and looked amazing but I was too worried about flying in the House of Wind to ponder over their sexy arses.

Conri frowned. "Why are you still here? They're waiting for us."

"Lexi's afraid of flying," Cerys said. "And we can't convince her to fly with Mother."

"No, I'm not flying with _anyone_ of you." I shook my head and crossed my arms. "Especially with him." I jerked my chin towards Rian. "He will surely drop me."

Rian smiled. "Me? No, never ever."

"Come on, Lexi," Feyre said, coming to me and extending a hand. "Take my hand. I promise I won't drop you." She smiled.

"No." I took a step back. "I'm not going to–"

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Conri chimed in and grabbed me so fast that I barely realised I was lifted and thrown over his shoulder. Then he started moving his dark wings like crazy and we were quickly drawing away from the ground. I started to scream.

Panic stricken, I immediately shut my eyes and clenched to Conri, unable to move. Cold blows of wind were constantly hitting my face and messing my hair. "Let me go!" I squeaked, hitting Conri with my fists but to no avail. "I want to go down! Please, Conri. Let me go." Yet he didn't even answer; instead, he picked up the pace, making me shriek. And feeling sick.

Suddenly, everything stopped and I felt that Conri landed somewhere warm. "That's it, princess," he said, putting me down. "You're here."

"Jesus," I whispered and opened my eyes, still feeling dizzy from the flight. Immediately, I leant against a black wall that was next to me and, with my forehead resting on my hand, I tried to catch my breath. I had never felt so weak and tired in my whole life, and I was barely able to stay up at all. My only dream now was to lie down for a couple of hours and avoid any contact with winged people.

After a while, I straightened up and looked at him. "Have you fucking lost your mind?" I asked angrily. "I said I didn't want to fly!"

Conri rolled his eyes. "You just needed a little encouragement."

"Encouragement?!" I repeated and frowned, feeling like hitting the roof. "You and that handsome muppet are all the same. No wonder you're cousins."

"Come on, Lexi. It wasn't that bad." Conri crossed his arms. "Besides, if it weren't for me, you would be still standing in that damn garden, debating over coming here or not. Just think of all the time I saved you."

I shook my head and then said, pointing a finger at him, "Where I come from, women are more self-reliant than here and surely don't need a _man_ to decide for them."

"I just wanted to–"

"Conri Archeron, what's the meaning of this?" a quiet but strong female voice asked, interrupting our conversation.

Quickly, I turned around. "Come on," I whispered, smiling broadly.

Next to a huge door, there was an incredibly beautiful couple, a tall and slender woman who had pointy ears and a winged man who was standing behind her. The woman had brownish hair tied in a bun and was wearing a long green dress. She was standing with her back straight and head held up, eyeing me suspiciously. The dark-haired Illyrian, on the other hand, was dressed in black leather like Conri and was peering at me with a smile. His hair was tied back in a short ponytail and there were red stones on his gauntlets.

"I didn't know you had a new habit of kidnapping young women," the woman added and looked at Conri. "Why didn't you brag about it, son?"

"Mother, please," Conri murmured. "It's not a habit."

"No? Then what is it? A hobby? A pastime?" she asked, coming closer to us. The man followed her. "I thought we raised you to be responsible and sensible… I'm sure your father wants to comment on it, don't you, my dear?" The woman flashed the winged Illyrian a meaningful look.

But he just smiled and said to Conri, "That's my boy."

I chuckled when the woman covered her eyes with a hand and added, "You'll never grow up, Cass."

To my surprise, the huge winged man kissed her hand and whispered seductively, "And that's why you still love me, Ness."

With my mouth open, I observed the two people, who had to be Cassian and Nesta, with growing interest. I wasn't expecting to see them in the House of Wind but I was pleasantly surprised by it. They both seemed super in love which was great, giving the fact that the last time I checked they hated each other like crazy. "Wow," I whispered and they both looked at me. "You're Cassian and Nesta… Huge fan," I said, grinning.

"Who is she?" Nesta asked, narrowing her eyes. "I've never seen her here before."

Before I was able to open my mouth, Conri said, "This is Lexi. Meleri kidnapped her yesterday."

Cassian laughed. "Meleri kidnapped her? Really?"

"Yes, she did." Conri nodded.

"Why is everyone so surprised that she kidnapped me?" I asked quietly, addressing no one in particular.

"She made a bargain with our lovely Bryaxis," Conri flashed his father a smile, "to find the perfect bride for Rinny. And that's why Lexi had travelled to our court from another world. Or something like that." He shrugged. "Rian told me that yesterday."

"I see. And why were _you_ flying with her, Conri, and not Rian?" Nesta asked. "From what I understood, she's Rian's responsibility now."

"First and foremost, I'm no one's responsibility," I said. "I'm a big girl and I can handle myself."

Nesta regarded me for a while. "Do you posses any magic? Any hidden abilities? Tricks? Did you train as a warrior?"

"No, of course not. Why would I?" I asked, frowning.

"Why would you?" she repeated, approaching me. When she stopped right in front of me, I started feeling insecure and really tiny, and wanted to back off but I didn't. "In this court," Nesta said, "we rely on such things as strength, cleverness and power. If you don't have them, then there's nothing here for you." She smirked. "After all, the Night Court is said to be the worst of Prythian's courts."

"Bullshit," I interrupted her. "I know everything about the so-called 'bad' things you've done throughout the years. After all, it was _your_ court that started fighting against Hybern. It was _your_ High Lord who sacrificed himself so that redheaded bitch wouldn't gain control over Velaris. It was _your_ sister who–"

"You don't know anything about _our_ court or _our_ High Lord, girl," she hissed and pointed a finger at me. "And surely nothing about my sister."

"Stop pointing fingers at me. That's your habit or what?" I asked, shushing her. _Good God, I was having an argument with Nesta Archeron. _"I've considered you my second favourite character in the books, right behind Rhysand, but I'm starting to regret that."

"What books?" Nesta frowned. "What is she talking about?" She looked at her son.

"Right… About that–" Conri said, scratching his head.

"Ah, then you've met our adorable guest." Turning my head, I saw Rhysand and Meleri who had just landed in the House. Having adjusted the collar and sleeves of his black shirt, the High Lord of the Night Court said, "Excellent. I don't have to make any unnecessary introductions as it's clear that the three of you know one another."

"What books?" Nesta demanded, fixing her eyes on Rhysand. "What are you talking about?"

"That's nothing," Rhysand said dismissively, approaching us and sending her a smile. "Apparently, Lexi has read some books about us."

Nesta narrowed her eyes. "Who wrote them? Was it you, Rhysand?"

"Me?" Rhysand laughed. "Mother above. No, of course not."

Then, she looked at Cassian. "It wasn't me," he said and crossed his arms, seeming annoyed. "I didn't write anything. I can't even write properly."

"Let's talk in the living room, shall we?" Rhysand opened the huge door and I saw a big richly decorated room with red sofas and armchairs. He motioned us in. "Tea anyone?"

"Come with me, Lexi." Meleri grabbed my hand. "It's my favourite room in the House." She flashed me a smile and drew towards the living room.

When we entered, I immediately looked around. The room had beige brocade walls and there were large windows overlooking the city. I also noticed a beautiful gold chandelier and bright gauzy curtains, swaying in the wind. Well, I wasn't surprised she loved this place. It was absolutely gorgeous.

"Wow," I whispered, sitting on the sofa next to Meleri. "This room is impressive." I turned my head left to give her a smile. Though I had heard footsteps behind, only Rhysand and Conri were in the living room with us. Nesta and Cassian were still standing in the dark hall.

Rhysand stopped near the windows and said, "Unfortunately, the books were written anonymously."

Nesta snorted. "And what were they about? Just don't tell me they were tales told before going to sleep."

"No, they weren't," I answered. "They were more like chronicles. And you were there too. You and Cassian." I smiled mysteriously. "And there is one thing I need to know… _desperately_. _What_ happened in the Illyrian mountains? The book ended in that scene and I _want_ to know what happened next."

"It's none of your business," Nesta hissed.

Conri frowned. "What Illyrian mountains?"

"There are more?" I asked, looking at him. He nodded. "Well, the ones your mum and dad were sent to."

Conri beamed and winked to his parents. Then he drawled, looking at me, "I did. I'm two months younger than Rian. So you have to figure out _what_ exactly happened in _those_ Illyrian mountains, sunshine."

Opening my mouth, I gazed at Nesta and Cassian who suddenly seemed uneasy and a bit too quiet. "This is fucking amazing," I whispered. "I've been always shipping you, guys. And here you are – together. Absolutely fantastic." I smiled. "So you've married the youngest Archeron sister," I said to Rhysand, "and you the eldest." I fixed my eyes on Cassian. "Who's married the middle one? Please, don't tell me that Lucien." I made a face.

Rhysand gave me a small smile. "No, not Lucien. The middle one married the one who gave her a dagger."

_Dagger?_, I thought and frowned. After a while, it dawned on me._ Fuck me. _"The three of you are brothers-in-law?" I asked, gaping at the two men.

Cassian shrugged. "You know what they say. Love is worse than the shits."

Meleri and I burst out laughing.

"You should start writing poems, Cassian," Nesta said, unimpressed by her husband. "I'm sure it will be a _huge_ success."

Giggling, Conri asked, "And… who's going to be the recipient of all of his poems?"

"Hopefully, not me." Nesta flashed her husband a serious look and then disappeared behind the same huge door she came in earlier.

"You have no idea, my sweet wife," Cassian said and joined us. He sat on the second sofa. "Where are Feyre and the younglings? I've heard them coming but they aren't here."

"They're already in their rooms." Rhysand took a seat in front of Conri and crossed an ankle over his knee. "Tomorrow, after our guests leave, we're going to look for Bryaxis and help Lexi get back home."

"Thanks," I said. "I want to go with you tomorrow. I want to see Bryaxis myself."

Cassian wrinkled his nose up. "I'm not sure it's a good idea, girl. That _thing_… is horrible, to say the least."

I shrugged. "I don't mind. I've never seen Bryaxis but I read about it."

"And were the stories really about us?" Cassian asked, fixing his eyes on me. "How is that even possible? I thought you were brought from another world."

"Yes, they were." I nodded. "I have no idea how it's possible. First I saw a light in my garden, and then I ended up in your court, standing in a huge room and looking at you all. Strange how it is, I didn't know there was a way to actually go to Prythian. I've always assumed you were so far away that travelling here was almost impossible." _Well, because it should have been_, I thought, flashing Cassian a smile. _And I shouldn't have been telling you all of this._

"Sometimes life has more surprises it would like to share with us than we've ever expected," Rhysand said. "And we experience things we've never really dreamt of."

"All right." Cassian rose to his feet. "To my ear, you're beginning to sound too much sentimental, Rhysie," he said, making a face. "And that's why I _have_ to abandon your lovely company and seek refuge elsewhere." Cassian started towards the door.

Rhysand snorted. "Me? Sentimental? The last time I checked you were supposed to write poems for your sweet wife, brother. And honestly, I'm looking forward to reading them."

Cassian turned around to face us and then grinned. "Are you? I think one of them will be dedicated to you, brother," he said. "Oh, I have even a title for it." He grunted. "_The late-night adventures of Rhysand._"

"What?" Conri frowned and gave his father a look. "You can't be serious."

But Cassian ignored him and, closing his eyes, started reciting,

_Getting a drink in his room,_

_Half awoken, half asleep,_

_Rhysand had to assume_

_His wine was very cheap._

_###_

_Not wanting to wake his wife,_

_Rhysand spilt the awful wine,_

_And having found his knife,_

_Cut the fucking grapevine._

The whole room went silent.

"Mother above," Rhysand whispered and placed a hand across his face. "Don't do that anymore. Please."

I giggled. "Hey, it wasn't that bad." When he looked at me, I asked, "Do you want to listen to another poem? It's not mine, but I like it. It's really short so don't worry."

Before anyone could protest, I said,

_Roses are red,_

_Violets are blue,_

_The most powerful High Lord_

_Got hit by a shoe._

Cassian and Conri burst out laughing. Even Meleri was giggling.

The High Lord of the Night Court lifted his brows and sighed. "Now, I really need a drink." Then he stood up and disappeared in the foyer.

Sill laughing, Cassian wiped his eyes. After a while, he said, "I think I will steal your poem and torture him for the next couple of weeks. I will even sell it to Rian." He smiled wickedly.

"Okay. But I told you it's not mine. I've just read it."

He waved his hand. "No worries. It's going to be the best known poem in Prythian. I will see to it." He left the room.

"Father won't be happy with this." Meleri made a sad face.

Suddenly, I felt guilty. "I didn't mean to cause any problems or offend anyone. You have to believe me." I looked at Meleri.

"He'll get over it," Conri said. "It's not the first time my father or Uncle Az make fun of Uncle Rhys." He smiled. "A few years ago, they did something far worse. You want to hear it?"

I beamed. "Sure."

"So this is what happened." Conri began telling us the story.


	15. Chapter 15

**_Previously on "A Court of Fear and Ice"_**

_With Rian's help, Lexi arrives in the City of Starlight and is taken to the House of Wind. There, she meets Cassian and Nesta, Conri's parents, and learns that Cassian is a rather bad poet._

* * *

**Chapter 15**

Standing on a balcony and looking at the city beneath me, I was still wondering how it was possible to be in the most important place for Rhysand and Feyre. The place that was hidden for so many years under his spell and later withstood the attack of Hybern's army. The place that was a refuge and then home for lots of fairies, who lived there in peace and prosperity.

Inhaling deeply, I smelt the salty and lemony breeze that was now moving my hair. God, I was so freaking happy I could be here and see all of it. To witness the beauty of the city and its people. _Fairies_, I reminded myself and suddenly started feeling cold as the wind blew again. Well, my clothes weren't the perfect outfit for early spring, as I asked the girls about the season, so I went inside and wrapped my arms around me, trying to get warm.

The room I was sharing with Meleri and Cerys was quite small, in contrast to my little kidnapper's huge bright bedroom in the residence. It had high dark walls, a beautiful chandelier hanging from the ceiling and three big windows overlooking the city. There were also three identical beds and a stone grey living room set where Cerys was now sitting.

"The city is absolutely breathtaking," I said, taking a seat opposite her. "I knew it would be incredible but seeing it with my own eyes… Just wow."

Cerys smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. Even after so many years, I still consider Velaris the most beautiful city in Prythian. I love spending time here."

"So is it still hard to get here?" I asked. "I remember the city was hidden and even the redheaded bitch couldn't find it."

"Well, yes, it is hard to get here but more and more fairies are coming to stay here. We love visitors, though." She flashed me a smile.

"To be honest, I didn't think you would show me your precious city," I admitted, setting my eyes upon the view behind the window. "And I do appreciate the gesture." I looked at her and smiled slightly.

She shrugged. "Don't mention it. I'm happy you like it here. The City of Starlight welcomes everyone – young and old, female and male. It's like a safe haven. Maybe someday I will make Velaris my home forever and never leave."

"Great idea." I tucked my feet beneath me. "Where would you like to live? Here, in the House of Wind? Or in one of the townhouses?"

"I haven't decided yet. But I would have to fight with one of my siblings over living here," she said and made a wry face. "My eldest brother, as the rightful heir, is the Prince of Velaris."

I rolled my eyes. "Of course he is."

She laughed. "You're not really fond of him, are you?" When I shrugged, she added, "He's not that bad. Sure, he can sometimes act like an arsehole, but for me he has been the best eldest brother I could have ever dreamt of. He's been supporting me and looking after me since the day I was born. I'd be always there for him, just as he has been for me."

"You're a good sister, you know," I said, smiling. "I wish my two younger sisters could say the same about me. I do love them but sometimes they can be like two pains in the arse." I sighed.

"I know what you're talking about." She giggled. "It's really hard to be a good sister. Especially when one of your siblings is going to do something really stupid and there is no way you can stop it." She frowned and bit her lip. "Just like Rian."

"I'm guessing you're talking about his future marriage," I replied.

She nodded.

"What is she like?" I asked.

"Eirwen is practically the same age as Rian so I've known her my whole life," she said. "We've never been friends because she had her two cousins, and I had Ciaran. We've never spent a lot of time together, too. Sure, we met at parties our parents hosted over the years, and visited each other if our courts extended such invitations, but it was never a friendship. An acquaintance, yes, but not a friendship."

"I see. And what about her relationship with Rian?" I asked, suddenly curious. "Just friends?"

Cerys whispered, "Well, there were _rumours_ they had a thing years ago but it ended back then. I was too young to pay heed to it but from what I've learned they spent some time together." She was silent for a second and then added quietly, "In bed."

"Oh, really?" I raised my brows. So the handsome muppet was going to marry his old flame? Interesting. "Is she the one Rian was in love with?" I asked.

Cerys narrowed her eyes slightly and gave me a look. "I'm sorry, but how would you know that?"

Knowing that my cheeks were warm and red, I peered down at my hands. "Meleri just mentioned it the other day. She didn't tell me much about that."

"Good," Cerys said softly and I looked at her. "Let it stay that way, Lexi." And then she smiled slightly but it wasn't a nice smile I had recently seen on her face. No, this one was strained and full of unspoken warnings to back off from this story. "Sometimes it's better to stay away from others' business, don't you think?" she asked.

_Did I go too far?_, I thought, feeling uneasy. In that moment, I came to realise that I had to cease treating them as imaginary beings and start seeing them as real people. _Whom there were_, I reminded myself, watching Cerys. As much as I wanted to know everything about them, I didn't mean to pry into their lives, book characters or not.

"I suppose so," I muttered.

"Excellent. I'm sure you don't want to make a bad impression and then leave our court, do you?" When I shook my head several times, she said, "I'm glad we agree on that one. Should I bring you some refreshments, Lexi?"

I sighed inwardly. "Yes, please."

"Then I'll get you something." Cerys flashed me a smile and then left the room, not asking me to join her.

When the door closed behind her, I covered my face with a hand and whispered, "Shit. Me and my big mouth."

###

When Cerys didn't come back after ten minutes, or at least it seemed so as checking the time was now impossible, I began to worry. At first, all I could think about were unpleasant yet quite harmless scenarios involving a hopping mad Rian who would charge into the room and give me a lecture about minding my own business. Or a furious Rhysand who would do the same thing and then kick me out of his house.

But the real fun was about to start because, in my mind, I saw all the horrible things they were going to do to me – beginning with locking me in the Court of Nightmares and never letting me go, completely wiping my memory and making me believe I was someone else, and ending with smoking me with just a thought after endless tortures.

Mentally exhausted, I was now lying on the bed, staring mindlessly at the ceiling. Suddenly, an image of burning people flashed before my eyes. It seemed so real that I was truly afraid of it and felt my heart racing. _I've watched too many films_, I thought, feeling a shiver ran up my spine. Then I groaned in despair when more horrible things came to my mind. "Good God," I said, covering my eyes, "I'm going to die."

"So are we all," a male voice cut in and I turned my head left. I was so preoccupied with the possible tortures I could get that I hadn't heard the door open.

Dressed in a midnight blue shirt and dark trousers, Rian walked into the room, leaving the door open, and came to a stop in front of the bed I was lying on. "Why didn't you get changed?" he asked, crossing his arms on his chest. "The dinner will begin in fifteen minutes and you're still not ready."

"What dinner?" I asked and sat up.

He frowned. "The one that will start in fifteen minutes?"

I rolled my eyes. "I've never heard of such a dinner."

"Oh, they're really nice and usually start in _fifteen_ minutes," he added angrily, still frowning and crossing his arms. "I was sent to retrieve you as quickly as possible and show you to the dining room. So here I am." Rian smiled slightly, fixing his eyes on my clothes. "And you're not even _ready_."

I stood up, putting my feet on the floor and trying not to remind myself of all the thoughts I had earlier. Of all the tortures I had envisioned, done by _his_ hand. _I'll stop watching such films and series_, I promised myself. _I must stop doing it._

"What's wrong?" he asked, suddenly wary. "Are you hurt?" He approached me and peered into my face, leaning close.

It was my turn to frown. "No. Why would I be?"

Rian straightened up but still seemed to be uneasy as he said, "You've just flinched a bit."

"No, I'm fine," I said, feeling perplexed by his behaviour. Why was he paying so much attention to me? I thought he disliked me. "I've been just thinking about something and that's all." I flashed him a faint smile.

He didn't seem convinced but luckily dropped the topic. "The dinner," he said suddenly. "Get changed and let's go. We have fourteen minutes."

"There's one little problem, Mr Rhysandson."

He clenched his jaw slightly and I noticed that he had shaved. "Meaning?"

"I have nothing else to wear," I said, opening my arms and peering down at myself. "This is all I got from Meleri. I don't have gowns or dresses." I looked at him. "I don't have anything appropriate enough to wear for a dinner."

When our eyes met, I notice he was thinking over my words. After a while he pointed at the window and a white shirt appeared hanging from his index finger. "The offer still holds," he drawled, smiling lazily. Then, he sniffed his own shirt and added, "What a wonderful smell. I just can't get enough of it." He put it closer to me. "You will like it too, lovely Alexandra. Sniff and then try it on."

I sighed. "Thank you but no thank you."

"Come on, try it on." He was smiling invitingly, still holding the shirt towards me. "Just today. So you can smell this wonderful crisp fragrance."

I shook my head. "No," I said firmly.

"Ah, shit," Rian whispered, making the shirt disappear. "I lost the bet."

I laughed. "I'm not even sorry."

"You should be, honey." He crossed his arms again. "I've lost a small fortune because of you, lovely Alexandra."

Shrugging, I started going towards the door, leaving him next to the bed. "Then I guess you should write it into my list of complaints," I said. "By the time I leave your court, it might be quite long, don't you think?"

"It's already long." Rian didn't move and was still standing in the same place, next to the bed. "Are you sure you want to wear _this_?" he asked, looking suggestively at my clothes. I was wearing a pale pink top with matching baggy harem trousers and white flatties I got two days ago from Feyre. I liked the shoes very much and wore them everywhere.

When I nodded several times, Rian added, "Fair enough. I could have got you something else but it's on your head then, lovely Alexandra. But remember, don't blame me later."

"Yeah, yeah." I waved my hand. "You know, Rian, I'll be generous and let you say 'I told you' in front of everyone in the dining room."

His eyes twinkled at the thought but he didn't say anything. Instead, he went pass me and motioned me to enter the corridor.

Suddenly feeling nervous, I asked, "It's just dinner, right?"

"Just dinner," he confirmed, smiling politely.

Then, we left the room.

###

When we reached our destination, I wanted to murder that handsome muppet with my own hands.

Just as the rest of the House of Wind, the dining room was big and built of dark stone. Its walls were high and draped in millions of glittering dots that made the whole room look like an enormous surface of a dark lake. The dots, most presumably crystals, were sparkling like stars and were covering the walls, the floor and the ceiling of the room. It was absolutely amazing. There were also gigantic chandeliers with black candles that were floating in the air above the big table.

But I stopped admiring the room when I noticed _all_ the fairies inside. Dressed in elegant clothes, they were talking and laughing and having the time of their lives. Women were wearing mostly long dark dresses, men had shirts or tunics and trousers, and I…

I, on the other hand, looked like a _fucking_ Cinderella who didn't get the chance to meet her _fucking_ fairy godmother and attended the ball without her _fucking_ beautiful blue gown. Or, as in my case, didn't listen to her _fucking_ fairy.

Turning towards Rian with a murderous look in my eyes, I opened my mouth to tell him everything that was now on my mind. But he leant closer and whispered into my ear, "I told you."

Then, he left my side and approached Conri. It didn't escape my notice that his cousin was also wearing an elegant tunic and dark trousers.

_Everyone dressed up, except me_, I thought. Seething with anger, I observed Rian's back and was thinking about all the awful things I would do to him if I ever had a chance, starting with shaving his hair off (even his eyebrows) and ending with catapulting him tied-up over the House. Oh, and the scream that would come from his mouth…

Detecting a move from the corner of my eye, I turned my head right and saw Cerys in a pretty dark blue gown. "I'm glad you're here," she said, stopping next to me. With her hair tied in a loose braid, she didn't look like the princess warrior I saw the first day. "Lexi, I apologise I didn't tell you about the dinner. I had completely forgotten about that when we started talking about _him_." She seemed genuinely sorry.

"Hmm," was my answer.

Cerys made a sad face. "I'm really sorry, Lexi."

"Yeah," I muttered and looked around, feeling a bit upset. It seemed to me that I was the only one dressed casually. "I should have listened to that handsome muppet when he told me about changing my clothes."

"Don't worry. No one will notice that you didn't dress up," Cerys said softly. "Or at least no one will say that aloud."

Longingly, I glanced at her dark blue gown. Gleaming like a starry night, the dress clung to her perfectly and highlighted all her curves. Only now did I notice Cerys's slender and ideal body, and wished I could look like that.

"I thought you weren't allowed to attend such dinners, Melly," Cerys said and smiled. I looked over my shoulder and saw Meleri, wearing a burgundy dress, who was walking towards us with a young redheaded woman at her side. "Whom did you bribe? Mother or Father? Or both of them?"

Meleri flashed her a smile. "No one. Rian let me come here, knowingly and wilfully."

I lifted one eyebrow but didn't say anything. Apparently, the _heir_ to the Night Court thought he could dispose his father and mother's dominion and make decisions in their stead, giving anyone the nod right and left.

My little kidnapper glanced at my clothes and, frowning, asked, "Why are you still wearing your pink outfit?"

Crossing my arms on my chest and eyeing Cerys, I hissed, "No one?"

She shrugged. "You know, Meleri is still learning this and that about social contact."

"Please continue as if I am not even here," Meleri said and crossed her arms like me. "Treat me like a child as you have always done."

Cerys put an arm around her younger sister and kissed her head. "Oh, sweetie, don't be angry with me," she said. "You do realise I love you and I must protect you at all cost. I'm your elder sister and have the right to sometimes make fun of you, though." She gave her a poke on her nose.

Meleri rolled her eyes but eventually smiled.

Looking over the sisters, I set my eyes upon the redheaded woman who came with my little kidnapper. She had a lovely round face with hazel eyes and a shapely nose covered in freckles. Her reddish brown hair was short and curly, bringing orange candyfloss into my mind. She was really gorgeous, though I didn't recollect her from the books. Maybe she was from the Autumn Court, considering her reddish hair and freckles.

Having noticed that I was staring at her, the woman gave me a look and smiled. "Hello," she said sweetly. She had a warm and soothing voice, perfect for reading audiobooks. "You must be Lexi. Meleri told me a lot about you. I'm Zareen."

"Nice to meet you, Zareen," I answered, showing some teeth. _Ah, then her name is Zareen_, I thought. _No, I definitely don't know that one_.

Smiling, Zareen added, "I've heard you're my cousins' guest."

_Cousins_?

"And you travelled here from another world. Is that true?" she asked quietly.

I nodded. "From a world without magic where there are just humans. No fairies. No magic."

"No magic?" She frowned. "I know humans don't have magic but surely there must be some fairies in your land." When I shook my head, she furrowed her eyebrows again and asked, "Then how would Bryaxis be able to bring you to our court without magic in your world?"

Shrugging, I said, "I don't know. But I'm here, aren't I?"

"And we're happy because of that," Cerys broke in, looping her arm through mine. "Our court needed an unusual guest who would bring some freshness into our rusty lives and entertain us with glorious stories of other realms." She beamed. "I believe our parents are ready to begin the dinner so let's have a seat."

Still holding my arm, Cerys started walking slowly towards the big dinner table that was now surrounded by the fairies. Meleri and Zareen minced behind us, talking quietly.

Next to the table, I picked up Rian and Merlin who were talking with a white-haired woman in a pale blue gown. I didn't see her face so I began wondering who that might be.

"Lexi, you will sit between Conri and Zareen," Cerys said. "I'll be next to Con and our guest of honour."

"And who's the guest of honour?" I asked, still looking at the table. I noticed that Rhysand and Conri were having a conversation with a white-haired man. I frowned. First I saw a woman, now there was a man. _Who are they?_, I thought. _Are they from the Winter Court?_

Cerys lowered her voice. "The High Lord and Lady of the Winter Court are here with their two children, Eirwen and Fannar."

"Eirwen? She's from the Winter Court? Really?" I asked with surprise. "And she's Kallias's daughter?" Cerys nodded. "Okay. I didn't see that coming," I said, frowning. "Well, I really wasn't expecting this. I thought Eirwen was an Illyrian or someone from your court, but the Winter Court… Where is she?"

Cerys slowed down. "In front of us. She's talking with Rian and Uncle Mel. See that dress? It's made of real ice. I'm not joking," she added when I snorted. "I've touched it a couple of times – every time by accident, of course – and it was cold. Like freezing cold."

"Wow. She's Kallias and Viviane's daughter," I said, still astonished. "I didn't know they had children."

Cerys laughed. "Don't tell me. There was nothing about that in the stories you read?" When I nodded, she went on, "Then you've never heard of Zareen, am I right?"

"Well, yes, I haven't," I responded, glancing at her. "I don't know her from the _stories_."

"No wonder." Cerys smiled. "She's barely fifty years old and your stories seem to predate Rian's birth. Zareen is Auntie Mor's daughter."

I gasped. "Seriously?"

She chuckled as if my surprise was funny to her. "Auntie Mor has three daughters, Zareen, Shani and Rosalba. Zareen is the youngest and lives with Auntie Mor in Athelwood. My other cousins reside in the Summer Court with their mates."

"So Morrigan's married, then?" I asked. I wished the golden hair fairy would finally meet the love of her life and live happily ever after. But Cerys's answer wasn't what I was hoping for.

"No, unfortunately not." She made a sad face. "She's still waiting for her mate. The girls were adopted by her when they were wee babies."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. About still waiting for the love of her life," I added quickly. "I think it's wonderful she has children as she seemed to be a warm-hearted person in the stories."

"Well, she is the best aunt I've ever had. As you know, there is also Aunt Amren who is great, but…" Cerys shrugged. "She's Aunt Amren."

I laughed. "Say no more."

Fixing my eyes on the table in front of me, I couldn't help but notice it was now half packed with guests the High Lord and Lady invited to the dinner. I spotted Feyre in a silver gown, which was sparkling like teeny weeny diamonds, and Rhysand in a dark tunic who were talking with two white-haired people.

_Frozen_, I didn't blink for a few seconds when my eyes set upon Jack Frost and Elsa from Arendelle. Holy shit. All the pictures I saw and all the videos I watched with my sisters had now come true – the two fairies in front of me were the perfect incarnations of two imaginary characters.

Dressed in a light blue tunic that was richly decorated with a gleaming silver thread, white-haired Kallias seemed to be made of ice and snow. Though I didn't see his whole face, his left profile was enough for me to find him handsome and really young. But all the fairies looked like that, didn't they? Kallias's clothes looked expensive and there was even fur on his sleeves and collar. And to think the room was getting hotter with every passing minute.

Tall and slender, Viviane matched her husband's appearance. Her long straight hair was left loose and there was a small tiara on the top of her white head. Long and lacy, her gown was silver and white, and made her look like a delicate snowflake. Just as Kallias, Viviane had fur on the sleeves and neckline of her gown. _Good God_, I thought, _they must really like feeling cold. _

"I used to be Auntie Mor's favourite," Cerys said and brought me back to reality. I glanced at her and noticed a faint smile on her lips.

Looking back at the sovereigns of the Winter Court, I asked, "Used to?"

"Yes." Cerys wrinkled her nose. "When I was fifteen, I accidently put her hair on fire."

I burst out laughing, drawing the attention of the other white-haired woman who looked over her shoulder and gave me a curious look.

* * *

**Pronunciation guide:**

Zareen = [za - reen] (meaning: golden)

Shani = [sha - nee] (meaning: red, scarlet)

Rosalba = [roz - al - ba] (meaning: white rose)

Fannar = [fan - nar] (meaning: snow drift)


	16. Chapter 16

**_Previously on "A Court of Fear and Ice"_**

_In the House of Wind, Lexi has a quite unpleasant talk with Cerys which leaves her worried about her final days in the Night Court. She is also invited to a formal dinner and escorted to the dining room by Rian. There, she meets Zareen, Morrigan's daughter, and finds out more about Rian's future wife. _

* * *

**Chapter 16**

Even though we weren't introduced, I knew who she was.

Dressed in a pale blue gown with white fur on the neckline just like her mother had, Eirwen was a really beautiful woman. She had a lovely oval face with sky blue eyes, full lips, and a small nose. Her white hair was put in a messy bun that, I had to admit, looked way better than the one I had now. Coming closer, I noticed her skin was flawless and seemed to be ice-covered. Well, she was a living and breathing Snow Princess, wasn't she?

There was a faint smile playing on her lips when Cerys and I stopped in front of her. "Lexi," Cerys addressed me, "I want you to meet someone. This is Eirwen, daughter of the High Lord and Lady of the Winter Court."

On the spur of the moment, I extended my hand towards the Snow Princess and said with a smile, "Hi. How are you?"

With a polite expression on her face, Eirwen didn't show that she was taken aback by my gesture, because I would have been if I were her, and squeezed her cold fingers around mine. "Fine, thank you."

"Wow. Your hands are so cold," I muttered under my breath once she released my hand. "You surely don't need ice in your drinks during summer."

Eirwen laughed quietly. "No, I don't." Then she looked at Rian and smiled.

Even though a small part of my mind wanted me to hate her – mostly because she was everything I wasn't and was going to marry a very attractive guy whom I fancied a bit – I couldn't.

Looking at the two of them together made me think of the reason I was brought here. Bryaxis must have been high when it thought I would be a better choice for Rian. The Snow Princess was beautiful, powerful and of royal blood. Becoming the next High Lady of the Night Court by Rian's side, she could add to the court's might and bring some strong allies along. I, however, was an _ordinary_ girl with no money, no connections and surely no powers. I was simply no one and of no use to the Night Court. _The Darkness is simply mistaken_, I thought.

"I can assure you her gifts are a blessing during hot summer," Rian said, winking to Eirwen. "She has saved us many times."

"Excellent," Cerys drawled and then snatched my elbow. "Come with me, Lexi." She began drawing me towards the table, not paying attention to those we left behind. "Here is a seat for Kallias," she added, discreetly pointing at the chair at the head of the table. "And one for my mother." Then she touched the one on its left. "And we are sitting here–," she stopped abruptly at the sight of Zareen and Conri sitting next to each other.

The slight raise of her eyebrow was the only indication she was angry but I didn't know why exactly. "Are you sure you were supposed to sit here, Con?" Cerys asked her cousin who immediately frowned. "My _mother_ said Lexi was going to sit between you and Zareen, didn't she?"

"I don't remember." Conri shrugged. "Does it even matter?"

Cerys sighed. "Fine. Let's leave it that way. Sweetheart," she said and touched my arm, motioning me towards the second chair on my left, "that's your seat. You'll sit between me and that donkey." Cerys flashed me a smile.

When I finally sat on that damned chair and looked around, my eyes caught the glance of someone who was sitting in front of me. I groaned quietly. _No, not again_, I thought.

"Hello, lovely Alexandra." Rian beamed and propped his head on a fist. "What a wonderful coincidence."

"To what do I owe this unexpected displeasure of sitting _right_ in front of you?" I asked angrily. God, that guy was stalking me.

He rolled his eyes. "Take it easy, girl. Human life is too short for such nonsense."

"Said by someone who is an expert on humans, I suppose." I made a duck face. "Where did you graduate from?" I asked sweetly. "What was it? Oxford? Cambridge? Harvard?"

"I don't know what you mean, honey." Rian frowned and leant back in his chair. "But I know this because I'm someone who has lived over one hundred years, and seen this and that about humans."

"And you've probably noticed humans usually waste time on unimportant matters," Kallias said, sitting at the head of the table and giving me a curious look. "How can a human girl be the guest of the Night Court?"

"Why is that so weird?" I asked, not knowing what he was getting at."Don't tell me you have human slaves in your court and my presence is an insult against you." I frowned.

"No, we don't. We find slavery detestable." He fixed his bluish eyes on Rhysand who was sitting at the other head of the table, and added, "It's been years since the last time I saw a human in one of your residences."

But it wasn't Rhysand who replied.

"Well, times are changing, don't you think?" Rian asked, taking a sip from a glass. "Sometimes it's good to try to think outside the box and open one's my mind to something new."

Feyre, who was sitting on Rian's right, flashed her son a smile. "The best things were created this way."

"Or in a cabin," Rian murmured and looked at me knowingly.

Blushing, I averted my eyes. _Damn it. I shouldn't have said that aloud_, I thought.

"Either way," Rhysand broke in, "I propose a toast." He lifted his glass. "Let's drink to changes and new beginnings."

"To changes and new beginnings," we all repeated and raised our glasses.

"Enjoy your meal," Rhysand said and the table filled with various dishes, beginning with roasted chicken and delicious meat pies, and ending with fish topped with a cheesy sauce and cooked asparagus.

Swallowing, I swept the plates in front of me and came to realise I didn't know what to choose. I wanted to eat literally everything that was on the table – the chicken, the pies, and even the salads.

I reached out to take a spoon of a tuna salad when Cerys whispered, "Don't touch it. Meleri _made_ it and I'm not entirely sure it's edible."

I giggled. "Come on. Be a good sister, Cerys. We talked about it today. Remember?"

_And I got slated for an innocent question_, I thought.

"She wants to be an excellent cook but it has never run in our family." She sighed. "Mother above. We're eaters, not food makers."

Despite her warning, I put some salad on my plate and grabbed a roll. "I didn't put much. So I will take a bite and assess its value."

Cerys wasn't taking her eyes off me when I lifted a fork with the salad and stuck it in my mouth. "And?" she asked anxiously.

Having chewed it, I managed to say with a smile, "Not bad."

Visibly relieved, Cerys grumbled something under her breath about surviving a tuna salad but didn't take the dish. Instead, she filled her plate with roasted chicken and mashed potatoes, and started eating, glancing at me from time to time. It was almost like she was checking if I were still alive.

I looked down at my own plate, full of Meleri's salad. Suddenly, I heard someone cleared their throat so I lifted my head and met Rian's blue eyes. He studied my meal for a while and, after giving me a look, he said quietly, "Good luck with that."

Then, he started eating the _same_ salad.

I twisted my face and thought, _Good God, how am I suppose to eat so much of that disgusting salad?_

###

The dinner proceeded in a cheerful atmosphere for almost everyone in the dining room. The fairies were talking and joking and eating literally everything that was on the table, no matter if sweet or sour. I was, however, just listening to their conversations and smiling politely because I didn't know what or whom they were talking about. _Literally_. I had never heard so many unknown names in my life.

It was like they were trying to confuse me and make it impossible for me to take it all in. At some point, I had even had the impression they were doing it out of sheer spite because of my big mouth and the stories I knew about them.

The meal ended when all High Lords and Ladies left the room, and I was finally able to relax.

Frustrated and a bit bored, I was sitting at the table and sipping red wine. Cerys left my side a couple of minutes ago and was nowhere to be seen. The other fairies were deep in conversation with one another and I didn't feel welcome enough to approach them and interrupt their chitter-chatter. Looking around, I spotted Rian at the head of the table. He was occupying the seat where his father sat and was talking with Zareen and Conri.

I gave a sigh.

"Don't tell me you didn't enjoy the dinner," Merlin said and took the place on my left. "I was observing you and I must tell you can't hide your feelings, dearie. It was all written on your lovely face."

I sighed again and propped my chin in the palm of my hand.

"Oh, my. Was it that bad?" he asked.

I glanced at him. "Have you ever been to a party where all the people knew one another but you were a complete stranger, and all their talking was nothing more than babble?"

"Well, yes. A couple of times, I suppose." Merlin watched me with a faint smile, his hands resting on the table in front of him. "Tonight has been different, hasn't it? You felt insecure because you didn't know what we were talking about," he observed.

"You have no idea, m–" I stopped abruptly and looked at Rian who flashed me a smile. He was alone now and eavesdropping on our conversation. "You bastard," I muttered under my breath and felt my nostrils flared a bit.

"Ah, yes. I've heard of that tattoo." Merlin laughed and fixed his eyes on that handsome muppet. "You must be really nice to him if you want to get rid of it."

I snorted. "Nice try, Mel."

Rian stood up and slowly came to us with a glass of something reddish. It was probably the same thing he was drinking yesterday when I ended up in Prythian. "He's right, you know," he said and sat on his previous chair. "Lexi, you should be doing all you can in order to earn my approval."

"You think really highly of yourself, Rian." I titled my head.

He shrugged. "I'm just repeating what I've heard. I'm the heir of the Night Court, aren't I? People love me." He drank from the glass. "You should too."

Crossing my arms on my chest, I asked, "Really?"

"So maybe I'll leave you two… to whatever you're doing now." Merlin stood up. "Please, don't kill each other. I'm not exactly dressed for cleaning blood from the floor. Besides, this tunic is new and I paid a lot of money for it, so please, be responsible and don't shed blood." Having said that, he walked away from us.

Rian was amused when he asked, "Who said anything about killing? I'm just having a nice conversation with Lexi." He put his empty glass aside and flashed me a smile.

"Oh, my," I said, trying to look shocked when our eyes met. "That's the second time today that you've called me 'Lexi'. Is there something wrong? Are you ill, Rian dearest? Why didn't you use your usual 'lovely Alexandra'?"

"Ah, then you _were_ paying attention." Rian beamed and put his clenched hands on the table, leaning across it. "Admit it. It's just an excuse for you to hear that."

I frowned. "No, of course not. Honestly, I don't like it. Not a bit."

He studied me for a while. "You know, you could be a good liar, lovely Alexandra. Some training and everyone would swallow your lies just like that."

"I see," I said, standing up and coming closer to him with my glass. "And who's going to be my teacher? You?" I sat next to Rian and faced him.

Rian shook his head. "Oh, no. I'm far too busy for that. Being the heir has its ups and downs. But you know all of that, don't you?" He leant back in his chair and crossed an ankle over his knee. "You must have read it in those stories about us."

I pursed my lips. Changing the topic seemed to be the best solution now, so I asked him, "Any news about Bryaxis?"

"Maybe."

Scowling at him, I said, "You know I want to go home and you still do such things."

"Did you leave someone there?" Rian seemed genuinely interested.

"Yeah. My family. My husband and son," I lied.

Rian tilted his head. "You don't look like a married woman."

"Oh, since when are you an expert on married women?"

Flashing me a lazy smile, he said, "Since most of the females I have slept with were married."

"I hope that you at least protected yourself," I murmured and drank my wine. "I'm sure the last thing your parents want is a bunch of your illegitimate children roaming around Prythian and reproducing even further."

A roar of laughter escaped his mouth.

"Oh, how sweet. You have a sense of humour." I smiled innocently and tilted my glass, but it turned out that the damn thing was empty._ That's impossible. It was almost full_, I thought, looking around in search of another bottle. "Is there more wine?" I asked him.

"I don't think you should drink more," Rian said, wiping his eyes. "You're already tipsy, honey."

I shook my head. "No, I'm not. I didn't drink that much. I was counting the glasses. Two," I showed him two fingers, "I had only two of them."

"That's two too many." He crossed his arms on his chest.

_Good God, his chest is so broad_, I thought, lingering my eyes on his abs hidden under a shirt. _What would I give to just touch them…_

"You shouldn't drink more, Lexi," he said.

"Don't be such a spoilsport, Rian." I frowned and stood up. "Besides, if I were drunk, I would be singing right now. Am I singing right now?" I titled my head.

"Not yet." He sighed.

"Well done. You're a good observer, Mr Rhysandson," I said and flashed him a smile. "Should you see me singing, let Cerys know and take me to my room, please."

And then I spotted a bottle of red wine at the other end of the table.

"Voila," I said and started walking towards it. "Will you remember that?" I looked over my shoulder to check Rian's reaction. As I suspected, he was observing me with a stern look on his face. _Ah, fuck it_, I thought and grabbed the bottle_. It's probably my last day in Prythian so let's get hammered_.

With a smile, I opened the wine and filled my glass up. Cheers!

###

The next morning, I thought my head was going to explode.

Without opening my eyes, I realised I was awake and lying in my bed but I didn't remember either leaving the dining room or being taken to the bedroom. There was nothing in my mind about returning from the dinner. It was as if someone had made my memories disappear. _Disappear_?, I thought and opened my eyes. _That son of a–_

I regretted that the moment sunlight hit – back then it felt quite literally – my eyes. Squeezing them tightly, I rolled into my side and tried to get away from the sun as far as my narrow bed allowed. Then, I covered myself with the duvet.

"Oh, hello there. It's a little after ten in the morning and you're still in bed. I wonder why," Cerys said mockingly. Though her voice sounded muffed because of my duvet, I suspected she was sitting on the living room set. "Are you ill, sunshine? I didn't see you at breakfast almost two hours ago. Everyone but you showed up so I started feeling worried."

I huffed, trying to ignore her tone of voice and my pulsing headache. "Yes, I'm a bit ill. That's all."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Lexi." Cerys must have left the living room set and sat on her bed as her voice sounded nearer me. "Should I call for a healer for you?" she asked sweetly.

"No, just give me some aspirin and I'll be fine," I said.

"I don't know what that is. But maybe this will help." She paused. "Aren't you going to at least lift that duvet a little and see what I have for you?" she asked.

I smiled though she couldn't see me. "I'm too afraid of the light. It will kill me now."

She snorted.

Making a tiny crack between the duvet and the bed, I poked up and saw Cerys holding a glass of something whitish. "What is it?" I asked suspiciously.

"My very own remedy for the morning-after feeling." She beamed. "It was improved over the years, of course, with the help of my two brothers and Conri. They were the only ones that agreed to test it on themselves." She frowned. "It usually helps, though when Meleri was born twelve years ago it didn't help my father. At all. I would even say it worsened his condition but I hope it will now help you." She smiled and handed me the glass. "Drink up."

"What's inside?" I asked, uncovering myself and sitting up. The sunlight wasn't so agonising anymore but I had to narrow my eyes though. I noticed I was still wearing the pale pink outfit from yesterday so obviously I was so hammered I dropped off immediately and forgot about changing. I grabbed Cerys's glass.

"Some herbs I got from the Night Courts healers. It's a bit bitter but I promise it will help you." She put a hand over her heart.

Glancing at her, I said, "If it worsens my condition, I swear I will worsen yours."

She rolled her eyes. "And to think I wanted to take you tonight to the city and show you around."

"Did you?" I asked.

"First, drink up." Cerys leant forward, popping her elbows on her knees. "Then, we can talk about tonight. Alright?"

I nodded and gulped down her remedy. A second later I regretted that. "Oh, fuck," I mumbled, squeezing my eyes shut. "Neither cooks nor healers."

Cerys burst out laughing. "Welcome to the Court of Dreams, Lexi."


	17. Chapter 17

**_Previously on "A Court of Fear and Ice"_**

_At dinner, Lexi meets Eirwen, Rian's future wife and daughter of Viviane and Kallias, the High Lady and Lord of the Winter Court. To her displeasure, she is forced to sit opposite Rian and then eat Meleri's awful tuna salad. To make things worse, Lexi gets drunk and wakes up the next morning with a terrible headache. Luckily, Cerys offers a remedy for her hangover and promises to take her to the city._

* * *

**Chapter 17**

It was late afternoon when we finally hit the city. Dressed in a pale blue top and trousers, I was flying now with Cerys and was almost crushing her body, though she wasn't complaining about that. My eyes were shut and squeezed so tightly they were hurting. But I didn't want to look down as I knew that one glance into the abyss beneath us and I would be lost in panicking.

I heard others flying next to us but I was too afraid to have a look.

Before we got off the House, I decided to choose Cerys as my flying taxi because she seemed to be a safe and rather responsible person. As for the others, Conri was flying with Zareen, and Ciaran with Fannar. Meleri opted for Rian whom I didn't pick mostly because of the cocky smile he flashed me when we met in the main hall a couple of minutes ago. Although that handsome muppet didn't say a thing about last evening, I knew he was thinking about it. His smile was proof enough for me.

Yet, the biggest surprise for me was Eirwen. At first, I thought the Snow Princess would fly with Rian which was kind of obvious, given the fact they were supposed to be married. But to my huge amazement she created a snow whirl that allowed her to lift herself over the ground and then move through the air. I was watching her with my eyes wide open and couldn't believe she was able to do something like that.

"We're almost there," Cerys said loudly, trying to outshout the wind. I nodded and relaxed a bit because that meant our flying trip to the city was almost over. Indeed, after a few seconds, the wind immediately stopped and we weren't moving anymore.

When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was a big bright marble bridge with a lot of tiny colourful lanterns hanging on silver chains and swaying in the wind. I moved closer, fascinated by them. Each metal lantern was different. I noticed there were some plain ones, painted blue, red, yellow, purple and green, and some that had various patterns on them, like swirls, stripes, and dots. None of the tiny lanterns were lit, but I was sure I spotted teeny weeny candles inside of them, so when it was dark the bridge had to look wonderful.

"Wow. What is that?" I asked, still looking at the swaying lanterns. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed we were surrounded by tall marble buildings with massive pillars, which were probably the shops.

"This is the Bridge of Eternal Light." Cerys approached me. "It was built two years after the Hybern attack to commemorate all that fell defending the city."

I lifted my brows. "Really? I didn't know that such a thing existed in Velaris."

"Well, another thing that wasn't in the stories, was it?" She flashed me a smile and turned around. "So that was our first stop," she said. "We'll come back later when the lanterns will be lit."

"You're going to love it, Lexi." Meleri beamed. "It's one of the most amazing things in the city and you mustn't miss it."

I gave her a smile. "I'm looking forward to it, then."

Cerys looped her arm through mine and said, "I think we should start with the Palace of Thread and Jewels and browse through some clothes and jewellery. Or we can visit the twin Palace of Lace and Rings which is on the northern side of the Sidra."

"What makes you think she's interested in clothes and jewellery, Cer?" Ciaran asked, crossing his arms and lifting one of his brows. "What if she wants to see the confections first?"

"Oh, that's a great idea." Eirwen beamed. "We can show her our favourite cake shop and buy some muffins there."

"I'm in," Rian chimed in. "I haven't eaten anything sweet today, and you know I have a sweet tooth."

"And you're grumpy if you don't eat any," Conri muttered.

I giggled. "I thought he's grumpy all the time."

Conri shook his head. "If he doesn't get anything sweet, he's even grumpier."

"Ha ha. Very funny." Rian rolled his eyes. "I'm the merriest male in our court. Ask anyone and they'll tell you the same thing."

"Are we really going to stand here and talk shit?" Fannar asked in a bored tone. I set my eyes upon the Snow Prince and regarded him with curiosity.

It was the first time I had heard his voice since yesterday's dinner as he didn't open his mouth during the whole meal. Though Fannar looked much like a male version of Vivien, he had a very unpleasant voice, full of arrogance and boredom. And the same arrogance and boredom were written all over his handsome face.

"Had I known the excursion was so stodgy," he added, "I would have never agreed on going here with you. And with every passing minute I'm confirming myself I want to go back to the House." He crossed his arms and fixed his pale blue eyes on Eirwen. Then, he asked, "Are you coming with me?"

His sister smiled and said, "No, I'm staying."

"Fine. Suit yourself," he snapped and went across the bridge, heading for the buildings on the other side of the Sidra. By the way he walked towards them, I assumed he must have known Velaris and its streets.

_That was weird_, I thought, frowning and looking at him. If I were his sister, I would certainly feel embarrassed by his rude behaviour. Well, I would even want to curl up and die. But when I glanced at Eirwen, I noticed she was just smiling sadly.

"I wonder how he is going to get to the House now," Ciaran drawled, observing the Snow Prince disappearing around the corner. "As he doesn't have any wings."

Conri snorted. "Let's hope he likes climbing stairs. Actually, a lot of them."

Even though that white-haired weirdo tried to ruin my first visit to the city – surely, he was too _preoccupied_ with blaming the whole world for his problems to even think about me – I wasn't going to let him do that. I wanted to see the City of Starlight and the Night Court guys were acting as my guides.

"So let's start with the clothes and jewellery," I said, drawing everyone's attention. "We've eaten sandwiches half an hour ago and we're obviously full now. Y_our_ cake shop will be the last stop, okay? And I hope there is ice-cream."

Rian nodded. "Excellent idea, lovely Alexandra. You're going to eat the best ice-cream in Velaris."

"Do you promise, Tinkerbell?" I flashed him a smile, wondering if he understood my allusion.

He smiled lazily at me and then said, "I promise, honey."

"What? No tattoos?" I shook my head. "I'm really disappointed, Rian dearest. I think you're getting too old for that."

With shadows all around him, Rian approached me and leant forward, asking quietly, "Do you really want that lower-back tattoo of me naked?"

I blushed a little. "Thank you but no thank you," I said, making a step back.

"Pity." He straightened up and the shadows disappeared. Then, he turned aside and added, "Let's go to the Palaces."

The rest of our group followed him, except me.

Standing there and looking at his back, I couldn't help but notice the slight change in the way he sounded. Was I just making it up or Rian had spoken with a barely audible Scottish accent? It was similar to the ones Cerys and Ciaran were using, and that was surely the first time I had heard it.

"What were you two talking about?" Cerys asked, attracting my attention. I thought they all went with Rian, but she was standing there, crossing her arms and regarding me carefully. "His shadows were visible and he only does that when his trying to make his point."

"Or when he's mad," Zareen chimed in. "Or when he's–"

Cerys shot her a glance, and then said, "Either way, Lexi, what were you talking about? I'm really curious now."

I fixed my eyes on her and frowned. "You didn't hear that? You were standing right beside us."

Cerys made a face. "No. Every time he's talking with you, he's blocking everyone around and shielding both of you. As if he doesn't want us to hear the conversations."

"And we watch you or him moving hands and making angry faces." Zareen smiled. "Sometimes watching both of you is really funny."

"So I'm going to repeat my previous question." Cerys moved closer and whispered, "What were you talking about?"

_Seriously?_

"Your brother promised I was going to eat the best ice-cream in Velaris and then we talked about a tattoo," I admitted, rolling my eyes. "He asked if I wanted a lower-back tattoo with his naked picture but I refused."

"Really?" Cerys sounded surprised. "That's all? I thought that he offered to spend the night with you."

I blushed and exclaimed, "What? Good God, no!"

Zareen laughed. "Well, I think Bryaxis had made a big mistake and chose the only girl that doesn't want our sweet Rian."

"Give them time, cousin," Cerys said and smiled knowingly.

I snorted. "Bullshit. I don't like _him_ and he doesn't like _me_. End of discussion." When she was still looking at me with a cocky smile, I added, "Where is that bloody Palace of yours?"

"Come with us." Cerys flashed me a smile and led the way.

Seething with anger, I followed her and Zareen. Give them time, eh?

###

Never had I thought that a made-up place could look almost like a modern metropolis.

While sightseeing Velaris, I saw lots of old and new marble buildings that were housing massive theatres the size of a shopping centre, multilevel shops selling goods from all over Prythian, and twenty-four-hour restaurants that could accommodate over one hundred customers at a time. All one needed was to be found in the City of Starlight.

Walking around the city with Feyre and Rhysand's children seemed like a lifelong dream. They were telling me stories about absolutely everything that was around us, beginning with the histories of some street names and ending with anecdotes about the owners of their favourite shops. Well, I was even acquainted with some shopkeepers near the Bridge of Eternal Light and given a twenty percent discount on everything they were selling when I would visit them next week. It was a shame I was leaving any day now because I wanted to buy nice earrings.

Of course, we couldn't miss the famous Palaces of Velaris which were indeed marvellous. Yet, we only visited two of them, the Palace of Thread and Jewels and the Palace of Bone and Salt, as they were both on the southern side of the Sidra. My guides didn't want to cross the river and waste time on the other two Palaces so they stuck to the northern bank.

Before anyone could have realised, it was nightfall. The streets, lit by many magical lamps, were even more crowded than during the day. Everything was busier and louder. So the Night Court guys decided to venture deeper into the city and show me the second library in the city.

Now, licking _the best_ hazelnut ice-cream in Velaris, I was strolling along a much quieter street with my magical companions. Each of us was holding ice-cream in a cone and rarely did we speak to one another. Apparently, eating was more entertaining than talking.

Walking alone in the middle of our group, I was observing the surroundings. I couldn't help but notice that the monumental marble buildings in the city centre were now replaced by tall townhouses with greenish roofs and small front gardens. Each house was brightly lit, and when I got near one of them I thought I heard voices and music as if there was a party.

Turning my head back, I saw the twins and my little kidnapper who were talking quietly with the Snow Princess. White-haired Eirwen proved to be a nice person – provided you liked quiet and calm people – and chatted with me for a couple of minutes about my family. She seemed quite surprised when I told her I lived in a terraced house with my parents and siblings, and that I shared a room with my two younger sisters. Well, not everyone could afford living in a palace, right?

Going back to licking my delicious ice-cream, I set my eyes upon Conri, Rian and Zareen who were at the very head of our group. Gesturing and pushing one another playfully, they were laughing at something, and I was just waiting for one of them to land on the pavement. At least something like that happened each time I was pushing playfully with my sisters, and, usually, it was our youngest, Jaz.

Though I should have felt abandoned, as I walking in the middle without any company, I didn't mind being alone now. I had my frozen dessert and nothing else mattered. So without thinking, I put some hazelnut ice-cream into my mouth and accidently made a loud smacking noise.

Rian immediately looked over his shoulder and fixed his blue eyes on me. Blushing, I came to realise that my noise must have been so loud that it attracted his attention. _Fuck. Fairies and their super hearing,_ I thought, observing Rian. He said something to Conri and Zareen that made them laugh, and, to my horror, dropped from his pace.

Suddenly, my ice-cream seemed to be super interesting. _Oh, God, he's going to walk with me and put me down for smacking_, I thought.

Too afraid to lift my eyes, I sensed he caught up with me as my left arm felt a bit hotter. Before he was able to roast me, I said, "You weren't lying about the ice-cream."

"Because I don't lie. Didn't you know that High Fae can't lie?" Rian asked with that Scottish accent.

I frowned. "But Maas wrote you can lie."

"Oh, we have a name, then." He smiled. "_Maas_. Who is that person? A man or a woman?"

"I will not tell you," I said quickly. _Shit_.

Suddenly, my ice-cream wasn't as good as earlier.

Rian looked at me with curiosity. "I see. So you don't deny that a person named Maas wrote the stories about us." When I didn't answer, he added, "All right."

"You do realise I didn't confirm that," I said, hoping to somehow handle the situation.

"But neither did you deny it."

I pondered over his words. "Fair enough. I gave you a piece of information and now I want one from you."

Rian smiled. "Hmm. I'm listening. Though," he lifted his right index finger, "remember I haven't agreed on anything yet."

Good. There was a yet.

"I've heard you're blocking people around when you're talking with me. As if you don't want them to hear us." I glanced at him.

With his hands in his pockets, he didn't seem impressed. "And?"

"Why are you doing it?"

"Do I have to have a reason?" He shrugged. "Maybe I'm doing it out of the kindness of my heart. Yes, I have a heart. Right here." He touched the left side of his chest.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Cheesy."

We walked in silence for a couple of minutes, listening to the night around us.

When I glanced at him again, he was staring at the dark sky above us. "Thank you," I said, catching him off guard. Rian immediately looked at me with surprise on his handsome face. "I'm glad you didn't tell your parents about the sex scene in the cabin," I added.

"Who said I didn't tell them?" he asked with a smile.

I huffed. "That's not funny, Rian."

"Of course I didn't tell them." He stopped right in front of me and leant closer. "Would you like to be informed by your eldest child that he knows the details of his conceiving?" He lifted one eyebrow. "Because I wouldn't. And that's why it's going to be our little secret, isn't it?"

Ciaran's voice distracted me from replying. "We're here," he said. "That's the second library in Velaris."

Turning my head left, I fixed my eyes on a rather small building with beige walls, big blue windows and greenish roof. There were flowers everywhere, on the exterior windowsills, under the windows and on the stairs leading to the building itself. And it certainly didn't look like a library.

"It looks like a cosy cottage," I said, frowning.

"It's simply disguised," Rian explained. "When you step inside, there are three floors up and two floors down. I've been there for a couple of times."

I smiled and looked at him. "So it's bigger on the inside?"

It was Rian's turn to frown as he surely couldn't understand my reference. "Well, yes, it is. This library is much smaller than the one under the House and doesn't have so many books." Then, he flashed me a mysterious smile. "If I were you, I wouldn't go inside this library at night."

"Even with you as my protector?" I asked, fluttering my eyelashes.

"Well, especially with me because I would run away and leave you there alone." When I laughed, he added, "It's haunted."

"Bullshit."

He glanced at me. "Want to check it out?"

Though I didn't believe in things like ghosts and wraiths, I was sure as hell that he would use his magic to lift something there and scare the shit out of me. I knew he was capable of such things, so I said, "Maybe another time."

"Come on." Rian grabbed my hand. "Let's go inside."

"No, I don't want to," I protested. "Rian, stop it."

He laughed. "You're scared."

I opened my mouth to tell him something really mean when I suddenly felt a wave of coldness coming from his hand. Looking at our joined hands, I saw those famous three stars on his wrist that were now _shining_ brightly with a yellowish light.

"What the–" I exclaimed but the three black stars on my own wrist started doing the same, and the coldness was growing stronger. I lifted my head and our eyes met. "Stop doing that," I said.

Rian seemed quite worried. "That's not me."

"It's not funny, Rian." I gritted my teeth when the coldness intensified even more. "Let go of me." When I tugged on our joined hands, I just drew him towards me and my second hand accidently grabbed his. "Sorry!" I gasped. The stars on our other wrists started glowing too, and the coldness took over as well.

"I said it wasn't me," he snapped, trying to move his hands away. His shadows appeared and covered our hands, but it didn't help either. "Fuck," he muttered. "I can't take both my hands away."

All of a sudden, I heard a low humming sound that just came from nowhere. Our eyes met seconds before something exploded between us, thrusting us aside into two different directions.


	18. Chapter 18

**_Previously on "A Court of Fear and Ice"_**

_In the afternoon, Lexi gets finally a chance to sightsee the City of Starlight. Together with the Night Court fairies, she wanders around the shops and venues of Velaris, and tries the best ice cream in the city. However, on the way back, the fairies show her the second library in Velaris where something strange happens with her and Rian's tattoos._

* * *

**C****hapter 18**

At first, I didn't know what had happened.

My head was spinning and I couldn't keep my eyes fixed on anything. There was also that annoying buzz in my ears. Only after a while did I realise that I was lying on the street on my back and staring at the night sky. I heard some voices but couldn't focus on them.

Someone approached me and grabbed my arm, lifting me carefully up, so I was now sitting.

It was Meleri.

"Lexi! Are you all right?" she asked, frightened and a bit panicked. I nodded and closed my eyes for no more than five seconds. "Oh, I'm so relieved," she added. "I was worried about you. Rian got up right after he collapsed on the ground, but you were still lying there and not moving so I thought…" She exhaled slowly. "But you're fine. And I'm really glad." She flashed me a sad smile.

Looking ahead, I saw Rian in the distance. He was standing opposite me with a slightly curved blade in his hand and looking around the street. He didn't seem to suffer from the daze I was now in as he was able to spin around quite fast towards his siblings. He was approached by Cerys who had two daggers that were burning, and Ciaran with Eirwen who were both holding bows made of ice. I closed my eyes again. Thankfully, the buzz disappeared but my head was still spinning.

"Lexi, are you ready to stand up?" Meleri asked, holding my arm.

When I opened my eyes, I was finally able to focus on her but I wasn't ready to move. So I shook my head, saying, "Give me some time, Melly. I can't heal that fast."

She frowned. "But Rian wants to fly to the House right now. He said–"

And then, on my left, I saw something which looked like a dark swirling cloud that was rapidly surrounding us and blocking the way to Meleri's siblings. Terrified and taken aback, I was just able to sit there, doing absolutely nothing to stop it from happening. I didn't know what was going on. One look at Meleri told me she was even more shocked and petrified than me.

After several seconds, the dark wall between us and the rest of the Night Court guys was completed and we couldn't see one another. I heard someone cursed and I was pretty sure it was Ciaran.

"Are you two fine?" Cerys shouted from behind the wall.

I wanted to answer her but didn't even have a chance to do that as a dry, rustling voice said, _Ah, Meleri._

I heard Eirwen's voice, asking, "What was that?"

My little kidnapper shivered.

The voice seemed to be all around us. It was as if the dark cloud could speak. And if it really did, then it meant that it was… I swallowed loudly and, fixing my eyes on Meleri, asked, "Is that… Is that Bryaxis?"

She nodded, looking frantically around. "Yes."

_I came to reclaim my end of the bargain, little princess._

Meleri was still shivering when she responded, "But you said it would be in a few years."

_I've changed my mind._

"Melly, stop talking with it!" Rian called out. "We're trying to get you out."

The darkness started narrowing itself around us as if it wanted to swallow us both.

_And I'm ready to collect it now._

I turned to my little kidnapper. "What did you offer it for bringing me here?" When Meleri didn't reply, I repeated louder, "Answer me, Melly. What did you offer it?"

"Part of my magic," she whispered. "I've already given it some but–"

"What?" I lifted my brows and slowly stood up, dragging her with me.

_You knew I would come for my payment one day. And tonight is that day, little princess._

"You did what?" I asked, staring at her. "You traded _your_ magic for bringing a complete stranger to Prythian to save your brother from marrying without love? What were you thinking, Melly?"

"It was the best idea I had come up with at that time," she murmured, avoiding eye contact.

I took a deep breath. "Sacrificing seems to be your family thing."

I knew we had to escape before that thing was able to get closer to Meleri and steal her magic. Though coming up with an idea to get us both out of here seemed to be a case of high priority, I just couldn't figure out how to achieve it. My mind was simply empty and I just hoped that those who were behind the black wall would be more successful.

_You can't run away from me, little princes. No one can help you now._

Yet, there was one thing that came to my mind that could have actually helped us.

"Hey, Bryaxis," I said, scanning the dark wall around us. "Care to talk with me?"

The darkness stopped nearing and we heard the sound of sniffing.

_The girl beyond the stars… What's your name, human girl?_

"You should know that since you brought me here," I responded.

_The only thing that was of interest to me was your pathetic and broken life. _

"I beg your pardon?" My cheeks felt warm.

The dark cloud laughed, swirling and moving around us.

_You were so desperate that winter night that I immediately picked up your distress call. Oh, you were crying your eyes out and wallowing in your own despair… You were so miserable… So broken and vulnerable…_

"Shut up," I said, gritting my teeth.

_I felt your sorrow, human girl, when you were constantly reminding yourself of what you saw that night. I felt your shattered heart that was slowly dying in your chest and giving you true agony. I felt–_

Through tears, I shouted, "I said shut up!"

_I felt your mutilated dreams and hopes of a future with him that dissolved into thin air the moment you heard them and realised what was happening._

I let out a cry full of pain and covered my ears, not wanting to listen to it.

_And I developed a taste for them._

"What is it talking about?" Meleri asked but I couldn't give her an answer. I _didn't want_ to give her an answer.

"Meleri, are you both all right?" Cerys asked. "Lexi has just made a strange noise."

Bryaxis got closer to us.

_When you travelled here two days ago, I immediately recognised you and started looking for you. I knew the bonding spell I put on you would only work when the stars met. So I waited in the woods, but a bunch of fools shooed me away from my cover and I lost track of you, human girl. But when you activated the spell minutes ago, finding you was a piece of cake. And tonight…_

A hand as if made of dark smoke shot my way and closed around my neck.

I couldn't catch my breath.

I was unable to focus and move away from Bryaxis, though I really wanted to.

"Lexi!" Meleri shrieked. "Let her go!"

"What's going on, Meleri?!" Rian demanded from behind the dark wall. "Answer me! Is it strangling Lexi? Meleri!"

_Tonight is my victory. I will kill two birds with one stone. First, I will begin with you as you are easier. Mortal… When I will get rid of your filthy carcass, human girl, I will deal with that little princess whose magic made me stronger and hungrier for more. And then I will drain every last drop of her magic. _

The hand tightened even more, making me gulp for air that wasn't going to get to my lungs.

I closed my eyes.

I knew I was dying.

_I will use her as her parents used me all those years ago. When they promised me freedom and gave me absolutely nothing. And to think I was loyal to them for so long… But enough is enough. _

"Please, let her go," Meleri said, sobbing. "Please."

_There are still those faithful to the Dark Mother and they know everything that is happening in that Night Court of yours. And they will come._

Opening my eyes, I stared into nothingness.

Well, at least I thought it was nothingness, but the more I looked, the more the dark cloud began resembling a humanoid figure. So with the final remnants of my consciousness, I put my trembling hand on the darkness around my neck. Seconds later, the dark wall around us disappeared and I was now standing opposite a young tall man with white hair and black eyes who was strangling me with his right hand.

And then everything went black.


	19. Chapter 19

**C****hapter 19**

The last day of the year had always been my favourite.

As a child, the only thing I cared about on New Year's Eve was the fireworks show. I was able to sit on the windowsill for hours, watching the night sky and keeping an eye out for the colourful lights. Though exhausted, I liked it when the fireworks were illuminating the dark night and changing it temporarily back into day.

When I grew up, my love for the fireworks remained the same. Every time I was at a New Year's Eve party, I just couldn't wait for the great show. The second the countdown started, I was immediately by the window, observing the night sky and hastening the fireworks to show themselves.

This year, wanting to change the way I had always spent New Year's Eve, I decided to go with Henry and our friends to Lake District. At first, we couldn't settle our accommodation as the hotel prices were really high, but it turned out that Henry's parents had a big lake house and let us stay there for a couple of days.

After a few hours of driving, we finally reached the house. Quite big and painted blue, it had two floors and lots of windows facing the nearby lake. Though I couldn't see the tiny pier, I had immediately noticed the forest where Henry, Paula and Dominic used to play when they were children.

"What will it be, Lexi?" Henry asked, closing the car boot and lifting our suitcases. It was the first day of our four-day stay and we were the first ones to arrive. The rest of our friends were still on their way to spend the best New Year's Eve in the world. "Where will we sleep? In the master bedroom?"

I laughed, following him into the house. "If you think you can persuade me to give you more tonight… I have to disappoint you. Not yet, darling."

"Well, at least it was worth trying." Henry stopped for a moment and put the suitcases on the ground. "I've forgotten something," he said unexpectedly.

"What is it?" I asked, feeling confused.

"This." He pulled me up to him and kissed passionately.

"Wow." It was all I was able to say.

Henry laughed. "Why are you always so surprised when I kiss you like that?"

"I don't know. I think I'm not used to it yet."

"Well," Henry gave me a look, "I think I should work on that." Putting an arm around me, he pulled me closer and smiled. "Practice makes perfect, darling."

I looked at his mouth. "True. But don't you think we should get inside before I freeze my tits off? It's so cold out here."

Henry set his blue eyes upon my chest. "Freeze your tits off?"

I hit him playfully on his arm and asked, "Is that really the only thing that you paid attention to?"

He shrugged. "Yes."

Rolling my eyes and gasping, I tried to get free. "Henry, your siblings will be here in several minutes, so let's go inside and light a fire." I gave him a smile. "You told me there was a huge fireplace in the living room and I can warm my tits a bit. Unless you want me to really freeze them off."

My boyfriend glanced at my chest again. "Well, we wouldn't want that to happen, right?"

"Definitely." I tried to hide my smile when he let go of me and peeked at my shock-absorbers again. "Do you have the key?" I asked, trying to keep my hands warm. Though it wasn't snowing, the temperature seemed to be quite low and my hands started to feel numb.

Henry grabbed our suitcases and said, "It's in my jacket. Left pocket."

When I finally managed to open the main door, all I could see was a dim room with lots of furniture that was covered in plastic. Apparently, Mr and Mrs Bailey weren't spending much time here. "Do you need help with our luggage?" I asked, looking over my shoulder.

"No, thanks." Henry smiled. "Let's go inside, darling."

_Men_, I thought, closing the door.

###

Standing by the window and drinking tea, I was observing our friends who had just arrived at the lake house. Dressed in a pale pink jacket, Paula was talking with Amanda and showing her something in her bag. Her blond hair was hidden under a big fluffy hat that had to be new as I hadn't seen it before. Amanda, Janelle Monáe's biggest fan in the universe, was wearing a grey coat and mittens, but she didn't have a hat. Well, everyone knew that she loved showing her dark hair off and absolutely despised wearing hats.

Both girls laughed and looked into the bag again.

Smiling, I fixed my eyes on Marco, Amanda's husband, who was unloading their luggage, and laughing at something Tyler was saying. He was a handsome man with a funny accent and beautiful brown eyes. Though I didn't know him long, as he married Amanda in April, I liked him a lot.

A sudden movement drew my attention towards the car. When I looked there, I saw my best friend standing by his Ford and waving to me. I smiled and waved back, making Tyler grin. Oh, I loved that guy very much and couldn't imagine my life without him. Two years older than me, he was like a big brother I had never had, and supported me in everything I was doing. Together with Paula, they were an inseparable part of my life.

Still watching the front garden, I heard steps in the living room. I sensed that Henry approached me by the window, and then wrapped his arms around my waist. "What are you drinking?" he asked, kissing my neck.

I sighed, leaning against him and wanting more caressing. "Tea. I found it in the cupboard. And answering your question, I checked the expiry date before I brew it."

He laughed quietly, laying his chin on my shoulder. "I wasn't even going to ask such a question, but fair enough."

"Is Dom with them?" I asked, looking at our friends. "I haven't seen him yet."

"No, he's not. Ty said he was going to be late."

"Odd, don't you think?"

Henry shrugged. "With or without him, it's going to happen on Monday. You know, Lex, stop thinking about my little brother." He started kissing my neck again. "We've got more pressing matters to deal with at the moment." Henry's hands started wandering around my body, teasing it here and there, and making me want more. I closed my eyes, suddenly forgetting about my tea. I loved it when he was touching me like this. I loved it when…

"Whoa. You're making out in front of a window?" Paula's mocking voice brought me back down on earth. "Seriously?"

With a heart racing, I opened my eyes and pulled away from Henry. I knew my cheeks were red but that didn't stop me from glaring at our friends who were now standing in the living room and watching me and Henry. "I thought you were outside," I said.

"Well, and now we're here." Paula rolled her eyes. "God, and to think that we could have walked in here two minutes later. And saw much more…" She made a face.

"Come on, darling, they're young and in love," Tyler said, laughing. "I believe we were the same all those years ago. You know, wet lips, hot kisses, lots of wine…" He tried to put his arm around his girlfriend but she glared at him and then headed for the kitchen. "Hey. Don't leave me like that, Paula. I'm already standing at attention."

"I'm too hungry for this, Ty," she called, not even looking at him. "Amanda, do you want to join me? I brought sandwiches and meat pie."

"Yes! I'm so hungry I can eat a horse. Or even two." Amanda flashed me a smile and disappeared in the kitchen.

Carrying two suitcases, Marco stopped in the middle of the living room and frowned. "Ragazzo, you sound like a horny little shit."

"Don't blame me. All these dirty thoughts made me hot and bothered." Tyler moved his eyebrows up and down several times. "So I think I will snatch Paula into the bedroom and play hide the salami."

I laughed. "Good God, Ty. No one's using that phrase anymore."

"Really?" Tyler frowned and made a duck face. "I thought that everyone in our beautiful kingdom plays hide the salami."

Marco giggled and started climbing the stairs. "Pazzo."

"I've heard that, Macaroni!" Tyler shouted.

"You know that I hate that nickname, Ty," Marco replied, giving him a look over his shoulder. "You are truly a pazzo who plays hide the salami." He laughed, disappearing upstairs.

Tyler approached the railing and lifted his index finger towards Marco, saying, "Tonight, I'm gonna destroy you in Uno, bastardo."

"Yeah, right." We heard Marco's voice. "Why don't you eat some salami, you horny little shit? You're not yourself when you're hungry."

"Arsehole." Having given him the middle finger, my best friend turned around and only then did I notice that his nostrils flared. "My victory will be spectacular," he said viciously. "I will destroy him like the Rebels blasted the Death Star." Then, he adjusted his jeans and added, "But first, I need to play hide the salami with Paula."

"Whoa. Grow up, man," Henry said and crossed his arms. "Stop publicly announcing that you're going to pound the duck with my sister." He smiled.

Tyler and I laughed.

My best friend looked at me. "I think I'm gonna change my favourite phrase, Lexi."

"Yes, please." I rolled my eyes. "Do it, Ty, and forget that damn salami at last."

Henry opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something but his phone rang. He looked at it and said, "I have to answer it. I'll be right back." Next, he went outside and didn't even put his jacket on.

"I hope he won't get a cold." I bit my lip, glancing at the front garden but I didn't see him there. Apparently, he must have gone towards the garage.

"It's not that cold outside, so he'll be fine," Tyler replied. "He can always warm up with a glass of mulled wine."

I turned around and flashed him a sad smile. "I'm afraid we don't have any. Yesterday, I bought whiskey, beer and vodka, but not wine."

"Hmm." Tyler regarded me for a while. "Then I would have to go to the shops with Henry and buy some. You know, we can't throw a New Year's Eve party unprepared, can we?"

I showed some teeth. "I believe so."

"But before we go, I need something to eat and drink," he added and headed for the kitchen. Then, I heard him asking Paula, "Darling, do we have any salami?"

Giggling, I turned around and looked at the garden. Still, there was no sign of Henry.

###

Later that day, we were all sitting in the living room and talking.

A fire burnt in the fireplace, making the whole room incredibly cosy and reminding me of Christmas. With a glass of red wine in my hand, I was sprawled over one armchair, Henry was sitting in the other one, and Tyler and Paula were lying on the carpet. The Monáes, as we sometimes called Amanda and Marco, were the only ones who decided to choose the big corner sofa.

"So the weather forecast claims that tomorrow will be cold but sunny," Marco said, looking at his phone. "And we'll be able to see the stars at night."

"And the fireworks." Tyler put some peanuts into his mouth and started chewing.

"Yes, please," I chimed in. "I love fireworks."

Amanda drawled, "We all know that, Lexi. You've been talking about it for years."

Shrugging, I said, "There's no harm in repeating that over and over again."

Amanda rolled her eyes. Then, she grabbed her whiskey and, looking at me, added, "One day, I'm going to put you in a firework and send you to the moon." She tilted her glass and drank the rest of the liquid inside. "You wouldn't even need a spacesuit, dearie," she grinned.

I laughed. "I don't think you'll find such a big firework."

"I'll think of something," she murmured, putting her empty glass on the table. "NASA will surely be of great assistance."

"Well, I'll take you up on that." I toasted her.

"Before we start preparing for the party tomorrow, we should go for a walk in the forest." Paula sat up and glanced at us all. "To breathe fresh air. To clear our heads. That stuff." She shrugged. "And we'll show you our favourite tree where Henry lost his two front teeth." She smiled. "Thankfully, they were deciduous."

"I'm sure they are still there," Henry said, not taking his eyes off his phone.

"Maybe the tooth fairy took it?" Tyler asked, still eating peanuts. "And the coins are still waiting for you to collect them."

"Santo cielo," Marco muttered, putting his phone aside. "Please, don't use the word 'fairy'. I'm sick and tired of it."

"And why is that?" I frowned.

"This one," he pointed at his wife, "keeps telling me about some guys with huge wings and dark shadows around them." He sighed and set his eyes upon Amanda. "I swear, the second you ask me to personate one of them in bed, I'm divorcing you."

Amanda glared at him and said, "There was only one with dark shadows around him."

"Non importa." Marco crossed his arms. "I'm not going to personate him."

I looked at Amanda and flashed her a huge smile. "Don't tell my you're reading 'ACOTAR'."

"Of course I am." She beamed. "Actually, I'm reading the second part."

"Oh, so you're over Tamlin the Tool?" Paula asked. "Good. I couldn't stand that guy."

"So did I," I said. "The moment that golden haired bastard pretended he didn't know Feyre I knew he was finished."

"Exactly!" Amanda exclaimed.

"What the hell were you three reading?" Tyler asked, frowning and eyeing us suspiciously.

"A book called 'A Court of Thorns and Roses'," Paula said. "I was telling you about this."

Tyler's only answer was, "Never heard of."

"Come on, darling. It was last year," she added, but Ty shook his head. "I knew you weren't listening to me." She sighed.

"That was a good choice," Marco whispered and nodded his head several times.

Amanda glared at him again.

Looking at Marco's sheepish smile, which was the only response to her glare, made me laugh. "Careful with that one," I said. "Or you're going to personate Rhysand in bed."

"Rhysand!" Tyler shouted and we all looked at him. "I remember that guy. And the book of course." He gave Paula a look. "That was the story about elves and magic."

"Fairies," Paula corrected him. "They were fairies."

"Whatever."

"Is that the one with the shadows?" Marco asked. "That _Reason_ guy?"

"Yes, that's him." Amanda nodded. "I was telling you about _Rhysand_."

Paula closed her eyes and whispered, "Rhysand is the best lover a female can ever dream of." Then, she put her arm around Tyler and added, "You should learn from him, darling."

"Yeah, right," Tyler mumbled. "I've always known that a book character could be my next sex role model."

"Or you can choose Cassian," Amanda chimed in. "The one with huge wings."

Giggling, I raised my glass. "Well said."

Paula kissed Tyler's cheek and let go of him. "Maybe he also liked playing hide the salami," she said and then fixed her eyes on Amanda. "You know, I'm sure he's well-hung."

Marco burst out laughing. "Santo cielo. I can't believe you're talking about fictional men's balls."

I asked, "And what should we talk about? Pussies?"

But it was neither Tyler nor Marco who answered my question. Still using his phone and probably browsing the Internet, Henry said, "Well, yes. For starters." Though I gave him a look of disapproval, he didn't take his eyes off the screen and continued, "That would be more interesting than someone's nuts."

Paula took a sip of her beer. "Well, you boys prefer talking about pussies, we girls prefer talking about balls and cocks," she observed.

"Obviously." Henry stood up and seemed to be quite annoyed. "I'm all in. I need to go to sleep." He didn't look at me as he headed for the stairs and started climbing them. When he disappeared upstairs, I realised he didn't even kiss me goodnight or ask if I wanted to join him which was really strange.

"We should all go to sleep," Tyler said. "We'll need to be well-rested for the party."

"That's a good idea, darling." Paula got up and extended her hand to him. "Let's go. We have some salami to find."

Ty laughed, standing up and kissing her hand. "I knew you would like that game."

"Of course." Paula smiled and then approached me with a sad smile. "Goodnight, Lexi."

"Goodnight," I replied, not looking at her. I was too busy cleaning up the glasses.

"I'll help you if you want me to," Paula added but I shook my head. "All right then. Night, sunshine."

"See you in the morning," Tyler said.

When they climbed the stairs, the room went silent. The only sound that we heard was the fire crackling in the fireplace.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Amanda asked, still sitting on the sofa with Marco.

I lifted my head and set my eyes upon her. "No."

"If you change your mind, you know where to find me, right?" She smiled.

Having grabbed the empty glasses, I straightened up and said, "Thanks but I don't need it."

"Leave them, Lexi. We will take care of them." Marco lifted his plate and glass. "We've got this, bambina."

"Really?" I asked. When they both nodded, I sighed and put the glasses on the table. "Thanks. I think I will go upstairs and get some sleep."

"Sure." Amanda flashed me a smile.

Upset and a bit confused, I turned around and walked up slowly to the stairs.

It was the first time I had ever seen Henry behave like that and I had to admit I didn't like it at all. I knew he sometimes could act like a spoilt child and hurt someone in consequence, but it was never done on purpose. He wasn't like that.

Yet, to make things worse, I couldn't get rid of the feeling that tonight's behaviour seemed odd. I felt like he wasn't my Henry anymore and the only reason I could come up with was that something happened today. Something he didn't tell me about. Or didn't want to. Either way, I knew I had to talk with him in the morning.


	20. Chapter 20

**C****hapter 20**

It was a little after nine in the morning and we were all having breakfast in the kitchen when someone rang the doorbell. As it turned out, it was Dominic, Paula and Henry's brother, who decided to come earlier and bring some friends along. To our astonishment, the newly arrived brought loads of alcohol and so many frozen pizzas that we had to store them outside as there was no room in the freezer. No one had predicted that our little New Year's Eve party was going to be a huge bender.

Now, standing by the living room window with Paula at my side, I was observing the front garden. Our boyfriends and Marco were unloading the contents of the car boot and storing it in the garage, while Dominic was flirting with his friends and not lifting a damn finger to help.

"I still can't believe he brought _two_ of them," Paula said quietly, gazing out the window. "That's two too many."

I shrugged. "Well, he's nineteen. He can bring friends of his own choosing."

"I'm not saying I want to forbid him having friends just because he's only nineteen." She gave me a look. "I'm just not sure _such_ friends are good for him."

I laughed. "Are you his mum or sister?"

"Oh, stop it, Lexi" Paula snorted. "Mary and Hazel are too old for him, and yet he brought them along."

"Sometimes boys like older girls," I said. "Maybe Dom is one of them."

Paula sighed loudly. "I hope not."

"Anyway. They look quite nice." I fixed my eyes on Dominic and the girls. "I'm sure they won't hurt him if that's what you're worried about." I smiled.

My best friend gave me a look and sat on the sofa, leaving me by the window. "I can't stomach Hazel," she said angrily. "Amanda claims she overheard her boasting about scoring a guy in a bathroom during a family party. I bet she's able to do that."

Laughing, I turned around to face her. "I'm sure that's not true." When Paula frowned, I added, "Sure, Hazel sometimes looks a bit like a slut–"

"Told you," she chimed in.

I sat in the armchair and went on, "But appearances can be deceiving. Remember that, my sweet little bestie."

Paula clenched her jaw, evidently unconvinced. "No matter what you say I'm not going to buy that shit. She's a slut, period." She crossed her arms. "And I'm taller than you, little one."

Laughing, I tucked both my feet beneath me. "I hoped you wouldn't notice that."

"I notice everything, sunshine" she said, smiling. "About that…" Her smile faded as she asked, "Did you talk with Henry about yesterday?"

For a long moment I stared at the fireplace, thinking about this morning and the short talk I had with him. Sadly, it didn't go as planned, but at least I talked with him and shared my worries. "I tried," I replied, fixing my eyes on her, "but he shrugged and said it was nothing."

"Do you believe him?" she asked, watching me carefully.

This time, it was my turn to shrug. "I don't know," I said, avoiding eye contact. "One part of me tells me that everything's okay and I don't need to worry, but the other claims there's something wrong with him. I just don't know what to do."

"Watch him under wraps. See if there's something off about him and his behaviour. That's the best advice I can give you, Lexi." Paula flashed me a sad smile and I nodded. "I've known my brother for twenty two years. He's never had problems with drugs or alcohol, and he's been always a good student," she said quietly, playing with the fastening of her hoodie. "I know that he can behave like a spoilt brat, even though he's twenty four, and annoy everyone within a five mile radius."

"Just five? I would say that at least twenty," I joked.

"That's true." Paula laughed. "Either way," she went on, "we both love him and know that yesterday's behaviour was strange and something must be done about it."

"Right. We still have two days to figure it out," I said.

"Do you want to go outside with me and check on the boys?" Paula asked, standing up. "I do hope they unloaded the pizzas and booze because there's still much to do." My best friend approached the front door and grabbed her jacket and shoes. "And knowing them, we would have to do it ourselves."

"Well, I hope they were supervised by Marco." I got to my feet and walked up to her. "He's like their guardian angel and, thankfully, watches their every step." Having flashed her a smile, I put my jacket and shoes on.

Paula giggled. "If he's the guardian angel, then we're the archangels with super big wings." She spread her arms, showing the span of some invisible wings. "They're that fucking big."

"Like Cassian's," I said, laughing. "Or Rhysand's."

She smirked. "Oh, you mean Tyler's sex role model. Girl, last night was… OMG." She sighed loudly and had a goofy smile on her lips.

"Okay." I made a face. "Let's go outside because I really don't want to listen to that."

"You have no idea what you're missing, Lexi Plexi." Paula looped her arm through mine and pressed closer. "My second advice?" She lowered her voice and added, "Start having sex with my brother. You're not going to regret it."

Huffing, I said, "You know, you should quit your job as a receptionist and start working as a sex therapist."

"I think that you've just found my dream job." Paula burst out laughing. "Next week, I'm going to send my CV and start wearing glasses. I would look smarter with them."

I rolled my eyes and said, "Come on, smartass. We had to check on the boys. Remember?"

"Of course, I do. It was my idea after all." She adjusted her invisible glasses and gave me a smug smile. "Let's go. I'm ready to give them an earful."

###

Though it was almost five in the afternoon and the sun had already disappeared, _we_ decided to go for a short walk. Well, frankly speaking, it was Paula's idea because she wanted to show us their favourite tree and didn't take no for an answer. So after lots of sighs, pleas, and rolling eyes, we all agreed on her _marvellous_ idea and I regretted doing it every damn minute of our stroll.

Slightly frozen and bored to death, I was walking next to Amanda and trying to warm my hands in my jacket pockets. Had I known it were so cold outside, I would have brought my blue gloves. But I was stupid enough to leave them in the bedroom where they were waiting for me to return. _Damn it, Lexi._

"When we'll go back, I will kill her," Amanda said, shaking with chills and hiding her hands in her sleeves. "I don't care if she's my friend or if it's the last day of the year… I will gladly do it."

I laughed quietly, looking at her. "You have to get in line, sugar. I am first to execute her today and I'm not going to let go."

"We can always share." Amanda narrowed her eyes. "It's easier to do something together. One will hold her, while the other will do the job."

"Very well." I flashed her a smile. "But first, we have to go back home."

Amanda's face darkened at the thought and her eyes were immediately fixed on Paula. "I don't think we're going back yet," she added. "That blonde bimbo is having the time of her life."

When I glanced at Paula, I saw her talking and laughing with Tyler and Dominic. The three of them didn't seem to be frozen or bored like me, but were joyful and full of energy. I didn't know how it was even possible at this temperature.

"They must be drinking something," Amanda said, still shaking and hiding her hands. "I wish I had taken a bottle with me. I'm sure no one would even notice one missing vodka with all that booze stashed in the fridge." She snorted. "At least, I would be happy and stop shaking like that."

When I giggled, she glared at me.

"Sorry." I flashed her an apologetic smile. "Had I snitched a bottle of vodka, I would have happily shared it with you, Amanda."

She rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her lips when she said, "I would have appreciated it."

Having looked at Paula and the boys again, I noticed that Hazel stopped talking on the phone and grabbed Dominic's arm, blabbing and laughing like an idiot.

One year older than me, Hazel was a really pretty girl with brown eyes and long dark hair. Tall and slim, she was like a walking and breathing supermodel but her rather unpleasant voice was off-putting. It was so awful that I simply didn't like talking or listening to her and avoided both things as best as I could. Unlike his elder sister, who admitted she despised her and kept calling her 'slut', Dominic was so stuck on her that he could spend hours with her and didn't seem sick of it.

"You know," I turned my head towards Amanda, "Paula said that she didn't _like_ Hazel and I didn't agree with her. But the more time I spend with her, the more I am convinced she was right." I set my eyes upon Hazel and her dark hair. "Paula had even called her a slut… And to make things worse, she doesn't know it yet that Hazel has already slept with Dom."

Amanda laughed. "How do you know?"

"Ty told me before we went out." When Amanda kept laughing, I looped my arm through hers and pressed closer. When she finally calmed down, I added quietly, "He had a long talk with him at Christmas and Dom admitted he had sex with Hazel on Halloween."

Amanda whistled. "Well done. He's a man now." When I sighed, she said, "Okay, I'm sorry. I've known him since we were children and I'm really happy he had finally enjoyed sex." She smiled. "You should be next."

Suddenly feeling angry at her, I stopped in the middle of the path and said, "First Paula, now you. What is wrong with you, people? Why do you all think I should have sex with Henry? That I should lose my virginity with him?" I crossed my arms and added, "I don't feel bad about being a twenty-two-year-old virgin."

"Sweetie, no one's judging you." Amanda came closer and put her hand on my arm. "Actually, I admire you. I wasn't so determined to keep my virginity for the man of my life and lost it with a footballer after one of the matches." She made a face. "It wasn't romantic at all."

Sighing, I lowered my hands. "I don't need it to be romantic, Amanda," I said. "I just want to do it with the man I love and feel safe with. Don't get me wrong. I love Henry very much, but… I haven't thought about spending my whole life with him. Well, at least not yet."

"No worries." Amanda smiled and we continued our walk. "Take your time, girl. I'm sure that he would understand because he loves you and you mean a world to him. Everyone sees that."

"Well, the thing is that he keeps talking about sleeping with me." When Amanda looked at me, I added, "He's joking about it, but I think that he's sex-starved. That the things we do… aren't enough for him."

Amanda frowned. "Well, I'm not an expert but I think you should talk with him, Lexi. Tell him what you feel and ask about his feelings, too." She flashed me a smile. "This way your relationship will be stronger and based on trust and honesty."

"Thanks, Amanda." I smiled.

"You're welcome, sweetie. That's what friends are for." She put her hand on my arm again and squeezed it. "I told you yesterday that you could talk with me about anything."

I nodded.

"Ah, damn it!" Amanda exclaimed, hiding her hand into her pocket. "I will truly kill her and no one will ever find her body."

Laughing, I said, "So it's a good thing that Marco isn't here. He doesn't have to witness your murder."

"And to think I could have come with him and Henry to buy some fizzy drinks," she grunted. "I wouldn't feel so cold."

I shrugged. "Or you could have stayed at home like Mary did."

"True. But I've already read the second part of ACOTAR and I don't have anything else to read." She made a sad face. "You didn't bring books with you, did you?"

"Sorry."

"Maybe I should ask Hazel for books," Amanda said. When I gave her a doubtful look, she added, "Yeah, I know. She doesn't look like a walking library. I don't think she has ever read a single book in her whole life. Well, come to think of it… I don't believe she can read at all."

I burst out laughing. "Stop it, Amanda."

"Don't tell me that didn't cross your mind at some point." She smiled. "Sure, she's texting a lot, but I haven't seen her with a book or paper in years. And remember that I've known her for a long time."

Suddenly, we both went silent, watching the dark bare trees around us and hoping to get warm. The rest of our friends were far ahead and there was no one to eavesdrop on us. So I glanced at Amanda and said, "There's one thing that is bothering me."

"Sure, shoot."

"I was watching Hazel during our lunch today and all she did was laughing and talking about shit," I added. "But then, she tried to talk with Henry and… their conversation was rather awkward. Or at least I found it like that."

As a matter of fact, Hazel was trying to talk with Henry about his job, hobbies and mutual friends, but he didn't seem to be interested in a conversation with her. Instead of speaking with his hands and smiling a lot, as he was always doing, Henry was just using sentences of less than two words and avoided all eye contact with her. I didn't know why he was behaving like that, and added that situation to Henry's 'awkward behaviour' list that was created the other evening. To be honest, one of the most terrifying things about that list was the fact that it was constantly expanding and including stranger examples.

"Well, yeah, I saw that, too." Amanda went silent. "They were dating some years ago but it didn't work," she said after a while.

I nodded, staring at the trees again. "I see. We don't talk much about his exes."

"Who does?" Amanda shrugged. "Don't worry, sweetie. There will come a time when you will talk with him about everything. About the past. About the present. About the future. Do you know what we call it? Marriage." She winked.

I flashed her a smile. "Maybe one day I will find out."

"Sure," she beamed. "I'm saving money to buy a freaking awesome dress for your wedding so don't disappoint me, sweetie."

Laughing, I said, "I won't."

"All right, then." She sighed, but then squeaked, startling me a bit. "I see the house!" she exclaimed. "Yes! Finally a place to warm my little body."

When I looked left, I too saw the blue walls of the lake house and felt really relieved. Just like Amanda, I was frozen to the marrow and ready to warm my big arse near the fireplace. Good God, I was yearning for fire and a blanket, but there was still a good distance between me and the warmth of the house. But I knew I would make it. I had to.

By the time we got to the house, Paula and the rest of our friends had already been there, and were talking with Marco who was unloading the car boot. At first glance, it seemed they bought enough fizzy drinks to throw several New Year's Eve parties, but it wasn't for me to say. Paula was organising the party so she was making all the decisions regarding food and drinks, and I had to agree to it.

Having looked around, I didn't see Henry anywhere so I asked Marco, "Where's Henry? Weren't you supposed to go with him?"

"I was, bambina" he looked at me, "but he said he had a call and couldn't come with me. So I went shopping alone."

I frowned. "He keeps getting calls, don't you think?"

Paula shrugged. "It's probably something connected with his job. You know that sometimes it's hard to make a break from your work."

"But it's Sunday, for God's sake," Tyler chimed in. "Don't they know that people relax at the weekend?"

"Well, maybe they don't," Amanda said. "So let's show them the right way to spend Sunday and New Year's Eve."

Paula smiled and high-fived her. "That's the spirit!"

"We're all little tired after the stroll," Tyler gave his girlfriend a long look, "and I think it's time to relax. Marco, leave that shit be, and let's get a drink. We'll finish that later with Dom and Henry."

Marco sighed and closed the car boot. "All right. It's damn cold. I could really use a drink."

"Me too," Hazel cut in, still holding Dominic's hand. "I want a big glass of icy cold vodka. Anyone else?" She looked around, flashing us a smile.

"Oh, I want one, too." Dominic laughed and raised his hand. Unlike the rest of us, he didn't notice the dismissive look that Paula gave him, because he went on, "I think we should start the party now. Why wait until eight o'clock?"

In response to his _bold_ words, Hazel kissed his cheek and mumbled something about the dangerous combination of him and alcohol. Slightly amused, I exchanged a look with Amanda who was covering her mouth with a hand, obviously trying to hide her grin.

"Right." Tyler smiled. "So let's get inside and start that party." His words were greeted enthusiastically and we soon started walking towards the main door, chatting and laughing with one another.

Having looked over my shoulder, I noticed I didn't close the gate. So I stopped abruptly and said aloud, "Shit. The gate is open."

Amanda looked at me. "Sorry, sweetie. You were the last one to enter. It's your turn to close it. Do the duty." She winked and disappeared in the house.

Huffing, I approached the gate as fast as I could and closed it. Then, just as quickly, I ran towards the house and opened the main door, saying, "The gate is closed and no one will get in without an invitation." I slammed the door and turned around.

Everyone in the living room was silent and looking at me with pity in their eyes. Feeling a bit confused, I frowned and opened my mouth to ask what was going on, but then I heard it as well.

A low, continuous moan was coming from upstairs and it was accompanied by the sound of a dull thud. As if someone was…

I blinked.

Once.

Twice.

Thrice.

With a racing heart, I looked at the stairs and made a step forward. From the corner of my eye, I noticed that Paula tried to grab my hand and probably stop me, but Tyler caught her before she was even able to touch me.

Step by step, I was climbing the stairs with a sinking heart.

The sounds were getting louder with every second I spent on scrambling to the top.

Dazed, I finally reached the first floor and turned left.

And then I saw them.

Leaning against the wall, she was wrapping her legs around his back and kissing his neck. With her eyes closed, she passed her fingers through his hair and let out another moan of ecstasy. In response, he picked up the pace and laughed quietly, making my skin crawl.

Second after second, I was standing there, desperately trying to process everything that was happening right before my eyes. I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I couldn't blink. It was like I froze in the middle of the short corridor with my eyes wide opened, and wasn't able to go anywhere.

Her moans stopped rapidly when he kissed her passionately, saying into her mouth, "I love you."

Something cracked inside me.

_I love you. _He was saying that to me all the time.

_I love you. _In the morning – right after he woke up.

_I love you. _During the day – in time to make my shitty day bright again.

_I love you. _At night – just before he fell asleep.

_I love you. _I heard those three words so many times that I got used to them, and hearing them at the moment made me feel sick.

Gasping, I covered my mouth with a hand, and that sound caught her attention. All of a sudden, she opened her eyes and looked directly at me, ceasing to move.

The horror I saw in Mary's brown eyes was nothing compared to the horror that was now filling my whole body. It was flowing in my veins, getting into every part of my shattered heart. It was clinging to my arms and legs, making it impossible for me to move. It was even intoxicating my thoughts, forcing me to fix my eyes on them and watch them have sex against the wall.

I blinked.

Alerted by Mary's stillness, Henry gave her a look. What he saw in her face made him turn his head left, directly towards me, and stay completely motionless. "Fuck," he said loudly, still with his penis inside her.

That was it.

I turned around and headed for the stairs, deaf and blind to everything that was behind my back.

"Lexi, wait," Henry exclaimed.

_I have to leave._

"Lexi, please. Let me explain." He was following me as I heard his footsteps. "Lexi, darling, wait." There was fear in his voice.

_I have to escape._

"Lexi, I'm begging you. Wait."

Almost running down the stairs, I felt something wet on my cheeks but I was too preoccupied with escaping this place to even bother. When I finally got down, _my_ friends were still standing next to the door, exactly where I left them _seconds_ ago, and most of them weren't looking at me. Good. I didn't care.

I had to get out.

With a shaking hand, I pressed the handle and opened the door. Then, I stormed out of the house and immediately tripped, falling to the ground.

"Lexi, wait," Henry said but his voice was still coming from the house. So he didn't go after me as I thought he would. As I – stupid cow – _hoped _he would…

"You're not going anywhere, arsehole." It was Tyler. The next thing I heard was the slam of the door and everything went silent.

On my knees and with my head bent, I let the tears fall.

It was unbearable.

I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to think. I didn't know what to say.

All I wanted to do was cry my heart out and stop that terrible pain in my chest. At times, it seemed so real that I wanted to scratch it out of the place where my heart used to be and toss it somewhere into the forest. I wanted to get rid of it at all cost. I wanted to put an end to it for good.

With tears still running down my face, I clenched my fists over and over again, _frantically_ trying to forget the image of the two of them banging in the corridor. I squeezed my already swollen eyes but it stayed in my mind anyway.

Hiding my face in my hands, I let out a cry full of pain, and felt that my body started shaking. The pain in my chest deepened, making me hard to breathe. "Oh, God. Oh, God," I kept saying, squeezing my eyes again.

But nothing worked.

No tears, no pleas, no cries of pain, and surely no broken hearts could make it all go away.

Everything I saw today truly happened and destroyed my whole life.

I was unwanted.

I was lost.

I was alone.

_Alone_.

I wanted to be alone.

Still hiding my face, I felt someone's hand on my back, but I didn't look up immediately. When I opened my eyes after a while, all I could see was blinding brightness.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

_What do you fear the most?_

I hear a knock on the front door so I open it. All I see is a young police officer standing on my doorstep and a police car in the distance. "Yes?" I ask.

"I'm really sorry," he says, giving me a sad look. "Your parents were in a head-on crash with a drunk driver who fled the scene. The paramedics were trying to resuscitate both of them for a full hour but despite their best efforts they passed away. I'm really sorry."

I slam the door in his face.

I am now completely alone.

_What do you fear the most?_

My house is burning. The fire is everywhere – it's coming out of the windows, and covering the roof. There are several fire engines and lots of firefighters. The whistles are wailing. The lights are blinding me.

I come closer to the building, looking around. "Is the house empty? Have you found anyone inside?" I ask the nearest firefighter, trying to shout over the noise.

He glances at me and says, "Two teenage girls. They are both dead." Then, he runs into my burning house.

I am now completely alone.

_What do you fear the most?_

"Miss, you have to answer my questions," the police officer says, gazing at me with annoyance in her eyes.

Feeling wet and cold, I'm looking around. It's dark and chilly. For a moment, all I can hear is the lapping of the nearby water. "But I don't know what happened," I whisper.

The officer huffs. "You were sailing in a boat with four people, two women – one with dark hair and one with fair hair – and two men, both with dark hair. The boat belonged to Mr Archibald Bailey. According to the witnesses, you were all drunk and under the influence of drugs. Suddenly, your boat capsized and everyone fell into the lake. You are the only survivor. What happened there?"

"I don't know." I cover my mouth with my hand.

I am now completely alone.

_What do you fear the most?_

It's pitch dark. The only sounds I hear are the whistles of invisible arrows that are flying above my head, but I don't know where the archers are. I need a place to hide or I may end up dead like the blond guy next to me. Shaking, I emerge slowly from behind the huge rock and then I see her.

With her long dark hair pulled back in a ponytail, she is fighting a hooded man twice her size. She's really tired and barely standing, though her two daggers are still covered with fire. I notice that her right wing is seriously injured and that's probably why she can't hide both of them.

Suddenly, the hooded man punches her in the face and she falls to the ground with a cry of pain. In an instant, he puts his sword in her belly and lets out a victorious laugh. With tears in my eyes, I watch her trying to gasp for air and cursing the hooded man who spits on the ground and leaves.

My legs are shaky when I approach her and kneel on the ground next to her. Tears are running down my cheeks but I don't care. I grab her hand and she looks at me.

"Go," she says. "Save yourself. Don't be stupid. Run… Tell him that–" Her eyes become glazed and she's staring into oblivion.

"No," I whisper, shaking my head and not letting go of her hand. "Please, don't…"

There is nothing I can do when she takes a breath but doesn't exhale. I close my eyes, sobbing.

I am now completely alone.

_What do you fear the most?_

Hiding behind a tree, we are standing next to each other and looking frantically around. She is panting loudly, clenching her fists and readying herself for the next fight. I know we used all our bullets to kill those creatures, and we must find some ammunition as soon as possible.

"Let's go," I say, grabbing her hand and leading her deep into the forest. "We have to draw away from the cave."

"I know." She nods and only now do I see that her blond hair is dirty and bloodied. "Do you think we will find the others?" she asks and glances at me.

I shrug. "I hope so. Maybe your brother has some–"

The air around us gets chilly and we know that they have found us. There is no use of escaping as they are faster than humans and enjoy running after their prey. We've seen that many times before and surely don't want to find out the hard way.

"Stay calm," I tell her, looking around. "I have a knife in my pocket so I can use it as a last resort. Unless someone comes to help us." I flash her a sad smile.

Suddenly, a blurred black object springs out of the bushes that are in front of us and pins her down, thrusting me aside. I hear her screams and cries for help but another black object lands between me and her, blocking the way.

Standing up, I take the knife out and say, "Let her go."

The doglike creature opposite me growls and bares its teeth, preventing me from helping her. I notice its long shaggy hair is covered in blood, so that one must have killed our friends. Shouting and still holding the knife, I take a swipe at it and it backs away. I repeat the swipe but the creature doesn't move. Instead, it growls again and glances at the second one as if telling it something. Before I'm able to move or say something, the second creature sinks its teeth into her neck and she shrieks in terror.

"No!" I scream at the top of my lungs but it's too late.

I am now completely alone.

_What do you fear the most?_

It's a perfect day. The sun is shining in the clear sky, the lilacs are blooming all around us and the man I was born to be with is standing opposite me and smiling.

His blue eyes are fixed on me and I feel like the most beautiful woman in the whole world. Holding the wedding ring, he says, "With this ring, I marry you and bind my life to yours." His hand is warm when he touches my finger and slowly places the ring on it. "It is a symbol of my eternal love, my everlasting friendship, and the promise of all my tomorrows." He gives me another smile that melts my heart away.

I don't take my eyes off him when I reach for the second weeding ring and repeat the same words, "With this ring, I marry you and bind my life to yours. It is a symbol of my eternal love, my everlasting friendship, and the promise of all my tomorrows." Finally, the ring is placed on the fourth finger of his left hand where it would stay for the rest of his life.

Our eyes meet and we smile at each other.

The wedding celebrant grunts and says, "You have made a statement to those around you of the relationship you wish to cherish and share." He smiles and continues, "A strong marriage is formed by love and friendship, by learning to compromise, and by caring for one another. This is the core of your marriage and the reason you are here. Today marks a new beginning for you both as a married couple and I hope you will look back on this day with happiness, love and laughter."

My handsome dark-haired _husband_, who is still holding my hand, gives me another smile and winks.

The celebrant goes on, "You have both made the declarations prescribed by law and have made a solemn and binding contract with each other in the presence of the witnesses here assembled. Therefore, I am delighted to announce, that from this day forward, you are now husband and wife. You know what to do, don't you?" He grins.

In one swift motion, my _husband_ embraces me and leans me back. Staring into his blue eyes, I flash him a smile and put my arms around his neck. Then, he kisses me passionately. I hear clapping and roars of laughter.

When he lets go of me, I fix my eyes on him and whisper, "I love you."

"I know." He leans his forehead against mine. "I love you, too."

I close my eyes. "I know."

Inhaling deeply and still pressing my forehead to his, I'm about to open my eyes and give him a smile when I hear the sound of a gunshot.

There's a dreadful cry coming from behind me.

In a daze, I lift my head to look at my _husband_ who is staring at me with disbelief in his eyes. I frown and peer down at him. Only then do I see a big stain of blood on his chest that is growing with every passing second.

Gasping, I look at him again and feel that my eyes are filling with tears. "Honey?" I ask, cupping his cheek but he doesn't reply. Instead, he leans forward, pressing his limp body onto mine and forcing me to sit on the ground.

Clumsily, I embrace him and stare at his handsome face, looking for anything that can tell me what is going on. I barely notice that my shaky hands are covered in his blood. "Honey?" I ask again but his eyes become glazed and there's blood coming from his mouth.

"I've already called 911. They are coming," someone says but I don't take my eyes off him.

With tears slowly running down my face, I put my hand on his cheek and whisper, "Don't go, my love. Please, don't leave _alone_."

He fixes his blue eyes on me but I see that he can't keep them focused. "I love you," he says, closing and opening his eyes for a couple of times.

"No," I whisper. My white wedding dress is slowly getting soaked with his crimson blood. "Please, don't go. I love you, too."

He coughs and looks at me, flashing me a small smile. Then, he stares into oblivion and his chest stops moving.

I let out a cry, cuddling his limp body.

I am now completely alone.

_What do you fear the most?_

"They passed away. I'm really sorry."

_What do you fear the most?_

"Two teenage girls. They are both dead."

_What do you fear the most?_

"You are the only survivor."

_What do you fear the most?_

There is nothing I can do when she takes a breath but doesn't exhale.

_What do you fear the most?_

The second creature sinks its teeth into her neck and she shrieks in terror.

_What do you fear the most?_

He stares into oblivion and his chest stops moving.

_What do you fear the most?_

He kisses her passionately, saying into her mouth, "I love you."

"Fuck."

"Lexi, wait."

"Lexi, please. Let me explain."

"Lexi, darling, wait."

"Lexi, I'm begging you. Wait."

"Lexi, wait."

I'm on my knees and let the tears fall.

_What do you fear the most?_

_I fear being alone._

* * *

**IMPORTANT INFO**

The story about Lexi and the Night Court guys will be updated in August. Thank you all for reading ;)


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

A piercing sound filled my ears.

Opening my eyes and taking a deep breath, I realised I was kneeling on a cobbled street. My cheeks were wet and my eyes so swollen I was barely able to see. Somehow, I managed to look around, and saw a dimly lit street with tall, medieval-looking houses. There were also some people standing near me. Frowning, I got to realise I knew them and the place I was now in, but…

_With a shaking hand, I pressed the handle and opened the door. Then, I stormed out of the house and immediately tripped, falling to the ground. _

"_Lexi, wait."_

"_You're not going anywhere, arsehole." _

_The next thing I heard was the slam of the door and everything went silent._

"Oh, God," I gasped, covering my face in my hands and bending to the ground. A sob escaped my mouth as images from New Year's Eve started filling my mind. Going home after the stroll. Them having sex against a wall. Me running down the stairs. Me falling to the ground and crying my heart out. Me begging–

"I've been waiting for that day for a _long_ time," a quiet yet strong voice said, sounding rather familiar. "First, you used my youngest daughter and filled her head with treacherous promises of solving all her problems. You gave her false hope and assured that you would help her brother as long as she gave you some of her magic."

_Rhysand._

"Then, you deceived her and made a bargain with her, but you knew that she wouldn't be able to fulfil it." There was some sort of groaning, but it wasn't Rhysand because he added angrily, "You convinced a young _untrained_ female to help you cast a bonding spell, and involved other _lives_ in your sick game."

I sensed that someone approached me so I raised my head. Blinking, I tried to chase the tears away, and I realised that it was Rian. With sorrow in his eyes, he knelt in front of me and grabbed my right hand.

"You _deliberately_ brought a young mortal woman into this world, just because you found enjoyment in her despair and broken heart," Rhysand went on. "You tried to use her to your own advantage as well, and got my _heir_ involved in the process."

Rian squeezed my hand gently and flashed me a sad smile.

"To make things worse," the groaning intensified, just as Rhysand's voice became louder, "you were going to kill that innocent human out of boredom, and suck out my daughter's magic had I not interfered."

Gazing at Rian, I knew my eyes started filling with tears once more.

Everything that was swirling inside me seemed so painful and so overwhelming that all I wanted to do was cease remembering Henry and his betrayal. With all my heart, I wished I could forget about that damn evening and never return to it again, but I couldn't. All those terrible memories were so deep inside my head, heart and soul, that I had to live with them for the rest of my miserable life.

Not letting go of my hand, Rian squeezed it once more and whispered tenderly, "I'm here, Lexi."

I felt my chin started to tremble and I was on the brink of breaking down as he repeated with a sad smile, and got closer to me, "I'm here. I'm not going to leave you alone."

Gasping and sobbing at once, I clung into Rian and buried my face in his neck. When he put his arms around me and cuddled me up, I burst out crying, releasing all that was nagging me and causing real pain.

"I'm here," he said, gently stroking my back. "I'm here with you, Lexi."

"Did you really think you would get away with your doings so easily? That I wouldn't find out the truth about them?" Rhysand laughed quietly. "Apparently, you have forgotten that I'm the High Lord and this is my court. This is my _family_."

There was a strangled sound behind me but I didn't turn around to see what was happening. Instead, I snuggled up to Rian and closed my eyes.

"And I'll do anything to protect them from harm," Rhysand added. "Especially, when the harm is as unpredictable as you, my dearest Bryaxis."

Alerted, I lifted my head. _Bryaxis?_

Someone else – _Bryaxis_ – let out a sigh and said, "Things we do for love, _High Lord_, are equally unpredictable, and they could backfire in a myriad of ways. You said you wanted to protect your family, but did you think about the consequences? Did you think about that poor innocent human when you stabbed me with your sword?" There was a cough, but Bryaxis went on, "Or were you so focused on avenging your _family_ that you simply forgot about her and sending her back home? You do realise, _High Lord_, that by killing me you're destroying the only way to her world, don't you?"

Letting go of Rian, I fixed my eyes on him and frowned when I noticed he was staring at me with a guilty look on his face. "Is that true?" I whispered.

Rian lowered his eyes and said quietly, "I'm sorry, Lexi."

Gasping, I moved away from him and slowly turned around.

Just a few feet from me, there was a white-haired man who was kneeling on the street and looking straight at Rhysand. The High Lord of the Night Court had a bloodied sword in his hand and there were shadows all around him. I fixed my eyes on the white-haired man – on _Bryaxis_ – who suddenly placed his left hand on his chest and coughed once again.

Rhysand hesitated for a second before answering. "I'll find a way to send her back home."

"Will you, _High Lord_?" There was laughter in Bryaxis's hoarse voice. "Or will you be so preoccupied with protecting your own _family_ that you'll forget about her again?" He removed his hand from his chest and looked at it. I noticed there was something dark on the palm of his hand. _Blood_.

"Unlike you," Rhysand said coldly, "I don't break my word. Should I remind you the promise you made to me and your High Lady all those years ago?"

Bryaxis smirked. "They were just words."

"Words have consequences."

"Well, in that case," Bryaxis went on and laid his hand on the chest wound again, "your youngest is bound with me forever." He coughed, flashing Rhysand a nasty smile. "From the moment she sealed our bargain with her blood, she was obliged to just give me her magic. But when she recited the Eterne Oath–"

"You don't have to give me a detailed account of that day," Rhysand broke in. "I saw it in my daughter's mind. And believe it or not, I've learnt this and that about blood oaths."

"Then you know perfectly well that she doomed herself for all eternity." Bryaxis stood slowly up and, panting, added, "I can demand her magic right now and there is nothing you can do about it, _High Lord_."

Detecting a movement, I turned my head right, and saw Rian who was standing next to me and holding a curved blade. With a stern face, he was observing his father and Bryaxis. "Get out of here," he whispered, not looking at me. "Find the cake shop and then go to the House. Someone will help you get to the top." He glanced at me and smiled. "Just remember to close your eyes, honey."

When I nodded, he carefully approached the two men in front of us.

Reluctantly, I turned back to go to the House of Wind, but then I noticed a small figure that was coming nearer us. I narrowed my eyes, trying to recognise the person, but Rian was faster than me as he asked, "Melly, what are you doing here?"

Dirty and exhausted, my little kidnapper stopped right in front of him and said, "I was worried about you."

"You were supposed to go with Eirwen and the twins." Rian turned towards his younger sister. "You can't be here."

Meleri glanced at him and then at me. "I couldn't leave you alone."

Her brother frowned. "Sweetheart, you're not safe here. Take Lexi and go to the House. I'll be fine, I promise." Rian flashed her a smile.

"But–"

"No buts," he cut in. "Do as I say, Meleri." Then he added calmly, "Please."

The young fairy furrowed her eyebrows, but eventually nodded. "Fine," she said and extended a hand towards me. "Come on, Lexi."

I was just about to grab it when I heard a malicious laugh, so I looked over my shoulder and gasped, "Holy shit."

Too preoccupied with talking with Rian and Meleri, I hadn't noticed that Bryaxis started changing into his previous form – the black cloud that was surrounding us previously. His arms were nothing more than dark shadows and the same thing was happening to the rest of his body.

With a horrible smile on his face, the white-haired Bryaxis hissed, "Now, that we are all here, I think I will reclaim my end of the bargain, little princess."

"No, you won't," I said, standing in front of Meleri and shielding her with my own body. Though I was perfectly aware that I would have no chance of fighting Bryaxis, I couldn't stand doing nothing. Besides, I noticed that Rian was nowhere to be found, so I was Meleri's only protector. I closed my hands into fists and readied myself for the attack.

"I have been gathering my strength and waiting for you to come, little princess," Bryaxis flashed her a smile, completely ignoring me, "because I knew that you would do it anyway."

He glanced at Rhysand and went on, "You are all so predictable. So changeless… I would shed some tears if only I could." Bryaxis showed some teeth. "You thought you could kill me like that, _High Lord_. You thought that stabbing me with a simple sword can subdue me forever. Oh, no. Not when your daughter's magic is inside me." The rest of Bryaxis's body began transforming into shadows. "You can't stop it, _High Lord_. Not now. Not ever."

"We'll see about that," Rhysand said and lifted his sword.

Bryaxis laughed hoarsely. "When she's finally mine, I'll deal with you, _half-breed Lord_. Your father disgraced all purebloods when he mated with that seamstress."

"Really?" Rhysand asked, sighing. "I've been listening to that shit for over six hundred years. I should really write a book about that, but I need a catchy title. Any ideas?" He looked around. "No? That's a pity."

"Mock all you want, like everyone else in that court of yours," Bryaxis hissed. He was once again a swirling dark cloud, yet this time with a scary head. "But when the time comes, the Dark Mother will _tend_ to you all. And I promise that you won't like it."

"Oh, I do love such promises," Rhysand broke in, coming closer to Bryaxis. "So tell me, when will that Dark Mother come? Any specific time?"

Bryaxis narrowed his eyes. "Sooner than you would expect."

"Hmm. That's better than nothing." Rhysand shrugged, still approaching the dark cloud. "Should I prepare a room for her at the House? Should I offer some refreshments? Will she travel with a suite? Will there be males or females? Will she–"

"Enough of that nonsense!" Bryaxis roared and the sound echoed through the air.

Still shielding my little kidnapper, I shrieked when a hand that was made of dark smoke shot towards me and the one that was hiding behind my back – Meleri.

Appearing out of nowhere and striking with lightning speed, Rian took a swipe at the shadowy hand and cut through it with his curved blade. Simultaneously, Rhysand severed Bryaxis's head with one stroke of the sword, and all I could hear was a dull thud when it landed on the cobbled street.

Then, there was silence.

Shivering, I backed away and sat on the ground, staring at Bryaxis's head.

_He's dead_, I thought and covered my mouth with a hand. _He's dead._

"Oh, God," I whispered and felt that my eyes filled with tears.

A muffled cry escaped my mouth.

_I'm going to stay here forever._


	23. Chapter 23

**_Previously on "A Court of Fear and Ice"_**

_After waking up from reliving her nightmare, Lexi finds herself kneeling on the street. While she was out, Rhysand has stabbed Bryaxis and prevented him from harming another person. Devastated and overwhelmed by her memories, she breaks down and is comforted by Rian. Having listened to the conversation between the High Lord and Bryaxis, she finds out that killing the shadowy being means she will be trapped in Prythian forever. Yet, Rhysand delivers the final blow to Bryaxis and ends his life._

* * *

**Chapter 23**

Minute after minute, I was sitting on the street and squeezing my eyes tightly.

Still dazed, I couldn't believe what had just happened. Though I saw everything with my own eyes, my mind found it a bit difficult to acknowledge that Bryaxis was just about to take our lives, mine and Meleri's. Had it not been for Rhysand and Rian, we would have been dead, lying on the street and staring mindlessly at the night sky.

Just like Bryaxis.

I shivered, remembering the moment when his head hit the street. It was the same moment when I realised that I got stuck in a made-up world for good, and that the life I had always known burst like a bubble.

"Oh, God," I whispered and tears started running down my cheeks. I knew now I would never see my family and friends again. I would never talk with them, hug them, and simply be with them. Everything I had known was gone forever.

I shivered again, trying to warm my arms against the cool wind. My clothes were thin and soon I got goose bumps but I wasn't ready to move. Not yet.

There were quiet footsteps in front of me and I heard Rian asking, "Lexi, are you all right?"

"Leave her be, Rin," Rhysand said in a low voice.

_That's right_, I thought, still refusing to open my eyes and face my new reality. _Leave me be. All of you. Let me stay on this street until my last breath. Let me rot in this city for the rest of my life. Let me die in this world that isn't mine._

The street around us was quiet. Though the tall townhouses were nearby, none of their inhabitants were willing enough to go outside and check what was going on by the library. Either they preferred to mind their own business, or the Night Court guys created a mute spell and no one heard a thing.

"Father? What will we do now?" Meleri asked quietly.

_That's a good question_, I thought and opened my eyes. Thankfully, Bryaxis's head disappeared and the street in front of me was now empty. I really didn't want to know what happened to his head. It was gone and that was enough for me.

Rhysand sighed and said, "We will fly to the House."

I glanced at him but didn't say a thing.

"You all need to rest," he added, hugging Meleri and looking at me and Rian. "In the morning, I will call a meeting concerning tonight's events. But first, there is one thing I want to do."

He let go of his youngest and kissed her forehead. Then, he did something I wasn't expecting.

Falling on one knee in front of me and putting a hand on his chest, Rhysand said, "Alexandra, I solemnly swear to find a way to send you back home. I will not let you stay forever in a world that is not yours, nor will I let you get separated from your family and loved ones."

Astonished, I slightly opened my mouth as Rhysand went on, "If you want to blame someone, blame me. I am the one who is responsible for everything that had happened tonight. And I will make amends for it." He extended his hand towards me. "All you have to do is accept my promise. There are no catches or hidden prices. I'm offering it willingly and readily. I will _not_ demand anything in return."

Staring at Rhysand's handsome face, which looked so much as Rian's, I came to realise that he was probably the only person able to send me back home. I wasn't entirely sure if he could really open a portal to Earth, but I trusted him. I really did.

So without further hesitation, I squeezed his warm fingers, and said, "I accept your promise."

Rhysand nodded and the air between us stirred.

"You know the custom, don't you?" he said, standing up and pointing at my arm. "The tattoo is small and inconspicuous, in contrast to the other one you have recently got." He glanced at Rian who shrugged. "It will fade the moment I fulfil my promise, which I do believe will happen within the next couple of weeks," Rhysand added.

"Weeks?" I repeated quietly.

I couldn't stay here for weeks. I had to go back to my world as soon as possible. Everything and everyone around me were untrue and created by someone else, and I didn't even want to think about the dangers of staying forever in such a world.

I couldn't live in Prythian. I just couldn't.

_But he promised to find a way_, _Lexi_, I reminded myself, looking at Rhysand and taking a deep breath. _He made a promise and you know he would keep his word. He always does._

"No problem." I stood up and managed to give him a small smile. "Thank you for trying."

"That's the least I can do," he said and put his arm around Meleri. "It's getting late and we need to go back to the House. I'll take Melly with me, and you will fly with Rian."

Then, they were gone.

I glanced at Rian who was standing next to me with his arms crossed. He was observing me with a blank face.

"I think I will walk to the House," I said, turning back.

Fast as lightning, Rian blocked my way, making me stop. "No, it's too far."

"I don't mind walking."

"Honey, it's too far." He got closer and peered into my face. "You're tired, I can see that. You won't be able to climb up all those stairs."

"I can do it." When he opened his mouth to protest, I went on, "I need time to think, Rian. A lot has changed today and I need to give some thought to everything." I swallowed hard, fighting tears. "You know this isn't my world. I don't belong here. And the thought of not seeing my parents and sisters ever again… My friends… and–"

Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I tried to collect myself. I didn't want to break down – not here, not on a street, and surely not in front of _him_. I had already known that all the Night Court fairies considered me frail and pathetic, and I hated the idea of giving them another reason to detest me. Well, my list of complaints was long, and I didn't want them to remember me as a loser.

"I'm sorry for what had happened," Rian said quietly and our eyes met. "I truly am. I wish there were other ways of dealing with Bryaxis that didn't involve hurting or killing anyone."

"What's done is done," I broke in, staring into his blue eyes. "We can't change the past, Rian."

"I know."

Too tired to continue this conversation, I went around him and said, "I'll meet you at the House."

When I started my long, slow walk towards the stairs, he didn't follow me. Good. I had finally time to think about this night and what it meant for me. And I was sure as hell that–

"The things you saw because of Bryaxis…" Rian called out but didn't finish his sentence.

I immediately stopped, feeling my heart's pounding in my ears. I didn't even look over my shoulder when I whispered, "You saw them?"

"We all did," he said after some time.

_Good God_, I thought, suddenly feeling uneasy. _They saw everything. The whole damn evening…_

How was I supposed to look him in the eye after knowing he witnessed my fall? How was I supposed to act normally when I would meet the rest of them after knowing they saw my memories? I wasn't sure they were really memories, but it didn't change the fact that they saw _everything_.

"I thought it was only in my head," I whispered. "That they were some sort of memories." Then, I swallowed hard, and added, "I don't want to talk about it. Not now."

There were footsteps behind me and I heard Rian's voice saying, "I know how it feels. To see that horrible moment once more. To remind yourself of your broken heart. Of your shattered dreams." He went quiet. "To look at the face you once _loved_."

I didn't move.

Staring into the night, I was just standing there and waiting for Rian to go on. He clearly knew what he was talking about as there was a hint of sorrow in his voice. But I shouldn't have been surprised – from what I learnt, he was once in love. And apparently, it was a taboo subject in the Night Court since both Cerys and Meleri didn't say much about it. Nevertheless, some selfish parts of me _needed_ to know what happened to him, so the last thing I wanted to do was to distract him.

After a while, Rian took a deep breath and said softly from behind me, "Sometimes memories can be even worse than the actual disaster. They can distort everything we witnessed, and make us feel ashamed of it, though we weren't the ones to blame."

Peering down at my hands, I came to realise that I did feel ashamed and guilty about that evening.

As if reading my thoughts, he added, "Don't blame yourself for seeing it once more. You didn't choose to do it, Lexi."

Turning around and fixing my eyes on him, I said quietly, "I thought I wouldn't have to witness that night again. Ever. I thought I bid goodbye to him and all the pain he caused me. I thought I'm over it." A single tear tickled my cheek. "But I was wrong."

Rian slowly approached me and touched my hand. "That's not true," he said in a low voice. "It's never easy to come to terms with your past. But you have to try, and believe in it with all your heart. Then, someday, you'll make it."

"Did you do it?" I asked. "Did you come to terms with your past?"

He shook his head and gave me a sad smile. "No, not yet. But I will. Eventually. And so will you." Rian squeezed my hand gently. "It's getting late. Shall we fly to the House?"

I frowned. "No, I said I was going to walk there. Please, don't argue with me, Rian" I added quickly, knowing he would try to talk me over again. "I want to walk there."

"Fine. But call my name if you feel too tired to climb the stairs." Rian didn't take his hand off me. "Promise?"

I nodded.

"Good." Still keeping his hand on mine, he looked around and said, "It's really getting late." He set his eyes upon me and cocked his head.

"No." I let go of his hand. "See you at the House."

Having flashed him a small smile, I turned back and walked towards the beginning of the street. I knew I had to reconstruct the way back at all costs, because otherwise I would be totally lost in Velaris. And that was the last thing I wanted to experience tonight.

As I was drawing away from the library, I realised he didn't go after me. On one hand, I was glad he didn't as I really wanted to be by myself and have some time to think; but on the other… It would have been nice to walk beside somebody who knew the city and the way to the House very well, and… whom I liked spending time with.

###

When I had finally reached the stairs, I sat on the very first step and stared into the night.

Mentally and physically exhausted, I was blocking all thoughts that came to my mind on the way here, but after reaching my destination, there was no use in denying the truth.

Firstly, I got stuck in an imaginary world that was created by a best-selling author, unless one of the characters would find a way to send me back to Earth. Secondly, I would never see my family and friends again, and they would never know what had happened to me. And thirdly, but most importantly, I was done.

All I wanted to do right now was to break down in tears and forget about the damn world. About my damn problems. About damn everything.

Sitting on the stairs that were leading to a house that wasn't my _home_, I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. _I am done_, I thought, hiding my face in my hands and leaning forward. _I am so done._

And before I knew it, I started to cry.


End file.
